I'll Put You Together Again
by Sophiepicklegirl
Summary: When Bella's young life is ripped apart by a serial rapist, who will help her back from the brink of insanity? All human. OVER 18 ONLY! Skip chapters 1-3 if you wish to avoid the graphic description of what happened to Bella. I've written this story so that you can start from chapter 4 as from here on in, the abuse is only hinted at.
1. Chapter 1

Hello there

I'm a new writer to Twilight but not to FanFiction and have been writing about the Stephanie Plum series for a few years now.

I'm English so some of you American readers may have trouble with my vocabulary (as I have lots of with yours) and the way I write, but hopefully you'll still enjoy!

I love writing angsty stories and this is up there as probably my darkest offering to date.

Please R&R – it makes my day - though as a busy Mum of two with a part time job teaching swimming, I may not be able to write _and_ reply unless you want this story to take even longer than my last Evanovich one (Tired of Trying) which took about 8 months longer than originally planned - oops!

The first few chapters contain scenes of rape so if this is not your bag then this story is probably not for you although after the assault happens the rest of the story relates to the victim's journey back to a better place.

Lots of Love

Sarah (AKA Sophiepicklegirl)

Xxx

Any hooo…

o0o0o0o0o

"See you at ours! Don't be late the limo will be here at 7.30 to pick us all up!" Alice shrieked out excitedly, waving out of the open window of her black mini cooper as she dropped Bella off outside her father's tired white clap board house.

Bella grinned back as she quickly opened her umbrella to protect the carefully constructed updo she'd just had concreted into place. "Can't wait." Bella groaned out playfully. "Thanks again for the lift." She added as she turned and ran up the small drive as rain ricocheted off the dark red fabric of her hand held canopy.

"Say hi to that brother of yours." She yelled happily with a wink and a grin before hopping onto the porch and dashing in through the front door, collapsing her brolly as she did so.

"Will do! Better scramble..." the raven haired pixie shouted back "…he so _hates_ waiting!" Alice honked the horn and raced off to the airport to go pick Edward up.

Bella shook her umbrella then dropped it into the sink then flopped down heavily onto a chair in the kitchen, slouching back, albeit carefully, against the padded black faux leather back rest. Looking up at the ceiling with a 'boy, glad that's over' look on her face.

"Have fun?" a deep male voice, laced with amusement asked. Charlie Swan, Chief of Police and all round quiet guy, wandered into the cheerful room and took in his daughter's look of resignation.

"Yeah. Guess so...?" Bella said with a slightly pained look on her face, still reeling from being with her best friend in a pre-party primping session.

Alice had been far too excited and had talked and squealed at warp speed all the way through their hair and nail appointments, mainly about her latest boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock, who Bella had only met a handful of times.

"I know it's late, but have you had any lunch?" Charlie asked with a sympathetic knowing look as he put his empty coffee cup down on the drainer. Bella nodded, just as her stomach let them both know it's feeling on the matter.

"I'm good with a can opener!" He added with a grin, absentmindedly patting her shoulder as he drifted past her and over to a cupboard near the top of the fridge.

"I'll help" Bella said, standing up and heading over to the utensils drawer "dangerous and sneaky things, cans." She added with a giggle as she snaked round him and opened the fridge door, glad that he'd changed the subject.

"Ha… ha…" he replied slowly with a deadpan expression on his weather worn face before leaning in to pull bread and butter out of the fridge.

He knew that she wasn't really looking forward to senior prom and that she saw it as a step on the road to adulthood mixed with more than a hint of obligation and a large dash of discomfort. Not only was she far too uncoordinated to dance but she was going with Mike Newton a nerdy geeky kid that hung on her every word.

And the only person to have asked her.

Charlie couldn't understand why she wasn't more popular with the boys. She was definitely no ugly duckling and a smart as a tack…Taking a deep imaginary sigh to shift his incomprehension, he went in search of plates.

Father and daughter settled into a contented silence as they put several tuna and sweet corn sandwiches together which they happily proceeded to consume without so much than a word being said, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Did you get the time off?" Bella asked eventually as she swiped her finger over a blob of fish laden mayonnaise that had sneaked out of her sandwich and onto her plate before sucking it quickly from her finger.

Charlie looked at the fishing equipment stored neatly in the corner of the room. "Hell yeah, all packed. Not too happy about the radio silence though and it seems strange that I won't be able here to protect you from all the boys. But I'm glad we're leaving only after you're in the limo - I wouldn't miss you looking like a lady for the world! Heard a rumour from your Mom once that you had legs, Bells. Just wanted to see if they were true!"

A fleeting look, that spoke volumes about their loss, passed between them as they thought of the late Renee Swan and how she would have loved to have been there, would have loved to have helped her get ready…

"Daaaaad!" Bella huffed out, bringing much needed lightness and humour back into their banter. "Don't even think about it! Plus I'm gonna be wearing a long dress so that I can keep my jeans on." She added, patting the skinny faded black Levis she was wearing, making him chuckle.

"Billy and I will be back late on Sunday, if not earlier if the fish don't bite, so behave." Charlie added as he stood up to take his plate to the dishwasher, thankful that they'd been spared the pain of thinking back to the rain filled night of the car crash three year's earlier.

"I'll be fine, Dad."

Charlie turned and looked at her. "In all seriousness, Bells. Be careful. There's a real bad guy on the loose and the cops in Seattle said they think he hit Port Angeles coupla weeks ago."

"Like I said, Dad. I'll be fine. No-one's gonna suspect I'll be wearing my sneakers under my dress!" she added with a wry grin.

"Really?!" Charlie replied, looking hopeful.

Bella didn't reply, just shook her head. They both knew she would never hear the end of it if she didn't wear the outfit and accessories her pint sized friend had helped her choose.

o0o0o0o0o

"Wow, Bells. You look..." Mike cooed out as he looked at his prom date as she teetered near the top of the stairs. He wiped his palms down his black dress pants before reaching out with a clear plastic box containing an ugly bright navy and white feather and fake flower corsage that matched his striped bow tie.

As she carefully descended, she stifled a giggle when she realised that in the three inch heels Alice had insisted went with the dress she'd chosen meant she was taller than her date. She shook her head slightly, actually, wearing her vans would probably have the same effect, she thought sadly. Now Edward Cullen...

She knew tonight was not the night to lust over her best friend's drop dead gorgeous brother, but hopefully if he saw her in the long, figure hugging deep blue satin dress that made her feel a million dollars and which she'd chosen with him in mind … perhaps then he'd see how grown up she'd become and maybe, just maybe he would see her for more than the annoying kid sister's sidekick.

Although she'd never admitted it out loud and especially not to Alice, though she knew the pixie had her suspicions, the crush she'd had for years on the tall bronze haired doctor in training had deepened to the beginnings of love.

Charlie gulped in surprise "all grown up...fuck!" she thought she heard him mutter to himself, snapping her back to reality as she reached his side and gave him a soft smile as she reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

Her dad cleared his throat. "Ready for your photos, kiddo?" he added, looking almost wistful.

Bella leaned forward and gave him a reassuring hug. "Pepper spray is in my bag." She whispered softly into his ear, shaking the small blue purse that hung by her side at him.

Charlie nodded then grunted in satisfaction before lining the miss-matched pair up and snapping a few awkward shots.

"OK, kids, best get you over to the Cullens for the limo." He stated once he was happy he'd used up the film in his ancient camera.

o0o0o0o0o

Lying on his bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, Edward Anthony Cullen, 2nd year med school student, groaned as he thought back to the events of the day which had started off badly, but rapidly gone downhill.

If the argument with Tanya, the violin soloist in the Harvard University orchestra, who bitched that he'd played badly and 'without soul' in the previous night's performance hadn't been enough. There were long delays at Logan airport which meant he could neither sit nor get a coffee due to the hordes of screaming, apparently parent-less, snot-nosed brats that seemed to race round his ankles. Where had all the parents gone, for fuck's sake? Oh yeah, hiding behind pillars and sniggering at his discomfort at being used as some sort of human climbing frame, bastards…

... and _then_ once he'd finally landed he'd spent an hour in the car listening to his insanely overactive sister who talked him to death about her latest boyfriend, Jason or Caspar or something when all he wanted to hear about was his Angel. But noooo, apparently she was not the hot topic and the latest boyfriend with blonde hair and "deep, soulful blue eyes that just _got_ her, _you know_?" had taken her place and seemed to be all that Alice wanted to waffle on about.

Rolling onto his stomach he sighed as he buried his head into his pillow. He knew that was not the real reason for his current state of mind though.

He could have coped with all of that if the final straw hadn't been watching some short skinny nerdy guy called Martin Newton or something drool over the understated, yet breathtaking beauty that was _his _Angel, aka Bella Cullen…. Er … Swan.

She was too good, too pure, too ... _young_ for him _plus_ she was joined at the hip to his kid sister. They'd all grown up together but last Christmas he'd realised his feelings had turned from friendship to … much more, perhaps even to… love?

Even if he could justify the nearly six year age gap, it would be a long time before society saw them as equals. Logic kept reminding him (thankyou_very_much) that by the time age was no longer a barrier he would be old enough to be thinking of settling down and start a family she would only just be old enough to hang around in bars.

"Aaagh!" He groaned softly into the soft feathers of his pillow as his body reacted even further to the memory of earlier when she'd stood by the limo. Bella had looked amazing, elegant and so grown up, he hadn't believed his eyes. Well, aside from the gaudy corsage that had obviously came from that moron Newman, fuck it was ugly!

The long, dark, one shouldered satin blue dress she'd been wearing showcased her gorgeous curves to perfection and taunted him, begging him to remove it slowly and worship the body underneath for the sinful thing that he knew it would be.

He sighed and tried to ignore the ache in his groin as he thought about how she moved with the grace of a movie star. Well, until she's stumbled over the kerb and nearly smacked her head on the open door of their chariot. Luckily Jasper had caught her before she could damage herself, or her dress. He grinned as he thought about his siren, all temptation and little girl, rolled into one.

Eventually he could deny it no longer and letting out a sigh of mock resignation as the image of her gentle flush of embarrassment freeze framed in his mind, he rolled off his bed and into his bathroom, dropping clothes behind him as he went. Stepping into his shower and reaching for the controls with one hand, he wrapped the other one round his harder than iron erection and closed his eyes. He'd not had a social orgasm in months – his studies and his music saw to that – but right now he'd give his left nut for the hand that stroked him to be small and delicate with a gold ring on its long slim pointer finger.

o0o0o0o0o

"If you grab my ass once more I'm gonna break your nose, Newton!" Bella hissed in Mike's ear as they awkwardly shuffled around, nearly in time to the music. She'd promised him one dance but at the rate he was going he was about to get more than he bargained for, much more.

"Sorry." He replied not at all repentant at her discomfort as he moved his hand up very slightly yet at the same time thrust his whole body forward as he tried to get closer to her.

Pushing him back by pressing her hands against his scrawny little chest, she took a deep breath and remembered what Alice had said about playing nicely as she prayed for the song to end. Once it did she bolted from his arms and straight over to the drinks table where she found Alice and Jasper deep in conversation, locked in a lover's bubble. Surreptitiously she shook off the lumpy corsage that had been irritating her wrist since she'd reluctantly put it on and dropped it onto the floor before kicking it with feeling so that it disappeared under the floor length white linen tablecloth.

No-one noticed its less than elegant demise.

Or the look of relief on her face.

Shaking her head she was about to interrupt them to tell them she was about to head off home when she heard a deep velvet voice that reminded her of someone "Well hello there, pretty lady. Would you care to dance?" it asked.

Looking up Bella was hypnotised by the tall stranger that stood before her, smirking and holding out his hand in anticipation of her saying yes.

"I guess." She replied tentatively though even as she put her hand in his, alarm bells started readying themselves to chime in her head. He was tall and nice looking with even features and dirty blonde hair, but his smile didn't quite reach the bottomless brown eyes which were hidden behind dark rimmed, square framed glasses. In fact, if she hadn't been pleased to escape Newton and therefore slightly distracted, she'd have thought he seemed to be assessing her.

Gently, but with determination, he dragged her onto the crowded dance floor before she had time to protest.

"Name's Riley." He whispered in her ear as he moved to enclose her in his embrace. "Riley Biers. Just moved into the area. I start at Forks High next semester" he added by way of an explanation.

Bella thought she heard him whisper "mouth watering" as he leaned closer into her, but shook the thought from her mind as all rational thought fled when he moved closer and pulled her gently but firmly against the length of his hard body.

_ALL_ of his body was hard and she gulped as desire thrummed through her in time with the music and the beat of his heart.

"S'ok, I won't bite!" he whispered playfully as he began to move them sinuously to the ballad that had just started. "So, you know who I am, how about you? You come here often?"

The cheesy line broke the ice and calmed her down so much that Bella giggled. "That's better." Riley coaxed "tell me _alllll_ about yourself."

o0o0o0o0o

"Heads up, folks!" the DJ announced "last orders at the bar" he added with a laugh. The prom was supposed to be alcohol free, and the drinks served by the teaching staff from a long trestle table along the back wall in theory were. But everyone knew that a few of the more adventurous kids had sneaked something out of their parents' liquor cabinet and had probably tampered with the punch bowl when the teachers weren't looking. "Seriously though, folks, half an hour left to get your requests in." The DJ rambled on happily before loading up the next song.

Moments later Bella felt a tap on her shoulder and turned away from Riley who'd kept her amused most of the evening, either dancing or swapping stories while they stood near the buffet table, to find Alice and Jasper at her side.

"We're going to head off..." Alice grinned as she blushed. Jasper smiled lazily as he wrapped his arm round her shoulder then kissed her hair while looking at Bella. "You ok to get home?" the Pixie added as her eyes raked over Riley with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll order a cab. Oh guys, this is Riley. Riley Biers meet Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale."

"Hi, pleased to meet you guys. Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets home safely." Riley added, pulling Bella so hard into his side that she seemed to bounce off him slightly. Unperturbed, he pulled her tighter against him.

"Likewise." Alice replied, happy to see her best friend moving on from the infatuation she knew she had for her brother with this tall, handsome newcomer. "If you're sure you'll be ok, Bells…?"

"Let's go, Ali Cat." Jasper whispered hopefully before turning to Bella. "You sure it's ok if we shoot off?"

"Yes!" Bella giggled as she waved her hand dismissively. "Go! Do whatever it is you guys figure on doing... and NO, I don't want to hear about it tomorrow!" She added, giving Alice a knowing look.

"You heard the lady, Baby. Let's go!" Jasper said as he began tugging eagerly on Alice's arm and headed quickly for the door, trailing her along behind him.

"Where you going?" Riley asked as Bella unravelled from his personal space and moved as if to follow Alice and Jasper outside.

"To call a cab."

"I'll take you if you like..."

"No it's ok, really."

Riley nodded, clearly disappointed at her reply.

Just then Mike appeared from the shadows, he was swaying slightly and reeked of alcohol "What you doing with my date?" he slurred out angrily as he glared drunkenly up at Riley and stabbed him in the chest with his finger.

"I don't think so, buddy." Riley growled back, pushing on Newton's shoulder non too gently to get him to back off. Mike staggered back a few paces then came back at them.

"If she's putting out tonight, I'm the one who's gonna get it, not you." Mike added aggressively over the loud music, puffing his puny chest out. "She came with me and she's gonna cum with me. Ha ha! Cum! Gettit!" he added even louder as he grabbed his crotch and thrust his hips forward and back a couple of times, mimicking a more intimate act. At that moment the song ended and everyone around them heard his last comment and saw his movements. A silly grin slid over his face as he realised a small crowd had started to form, giggling at his ridiculous actions and the look of horror on Bella's face.

"Like I said, I. Don't. Think. So. Buddy." Riley reiterated slowly, pressing his pointer finger into Mike's chest with each word. "Sure I can't get you home, Bella?"

"You know what?! I think I will take you up on your offer, Riley. I'm sure Mike needs time to sober up." She said, grabbing hold of Riley's arm and glaring pointedly at a now swaying Newton as she tried to ignore the sniggers.

"My chariot awaits!" Riley replied as he ushered Bella out the door and into the cooling evening air.

o0o0o0o0o

Hope this has garnered your interest. It only goes downhill for poor Bella from here for the next couple of chapters, guys, so stay tuned… ;o(


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow!**

**I'm so used to masses of reviews so I guess I need to try harder to catch your attention as you've sooo many fabulous writers to choose from already! Please take the time to review so I know what floats your boat here in Twilight-Land.**

**Hope you enjoy this next chapter but this is were the nasty stuff starts...**

**xxx**

Closing his door softly, Jasper gazed at the beauty nervously sitting next to him in his car. "You sure, Baby?" he whispered as he gulped nervously, making his Adam's apple bob up and down.

"Never more so." Came the shy reply as Alice held up her hand to him which he took and placed on his thigh as he started the engine of his father's Jag.

"No going back, Baby." He added as he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.

Once they reached the room he'd booked they would do…

'it'.

"I'm sure, Jaz." Came the shy but confident reply.

o0o0o0o0o

Bella stomped off into the parking lot. "Which one is yours?" she demanded angrily, holding back tears as she took deep breaths to calm herself.

Damn Mike Newton! She raged internally.

Just because his parents were nearly as rich as Alice's did not give him the right to be so rude and ruin her prom! Admittedly she hadn't _wanted_ to go, but right now she was feeling cheap and embarrassed and to add insult to injury she was now about to be driven home by some guy she didn't really know and if Charlie found out she'd be grounded, for like... for-_ever_!

"Hey, looking a little scary, Bella." Riley said as he came up behind her. "Let's get you calmed down, shall we?" he added as he pulled her back into his front in a quick hug before easing her in the direction of his vehicle.

"That Mike guy? He's an asshole. Don't let him spoil your evening. Come on, let's get you home, ok?" He added as he hooked one of his arms round her neck.

Bella nodded as she let herself be pulled to the passenger side of Riley's car. Unaware of the smug look of satisfaction that filled his face.

o0o0o0o0o

Bereft of clothes, Jasper reached over and turned on the small lamp that stood on the night stand closest to him.

"Whaddya doin'?" Alice asked, trying to cover her nakedness.

"Shh, Ali. I just want to look at you. You're sooo beautiful." He whispered in awe as he leaned in for a small, careful kiss and to caress the side of her face with his thumb. "I love you, you know that don't you, darlin'?" he asked as he pulled away so that he could look into her eyes and gently move her hands away from her body.

"Please don't hide from me, AliCat."

Alice nodded to reassure them both that this was what she wanted.

"MmmHmm. I love you too." Came her whispered reply as soft, love filled kisses rained down on electrified skin.

o0o0o0o0o

"Hey, I thought you said you knew where I lived?" Bella asked, turning slightly in her seat to look at Riley who was speeding along, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Yep." Came the clipped reply.

"In that case why are we going in the opposite direction? Please Riley, just take me home, ok?" her voice rising to parallel her fear as they drove out of Forks. She should have known something was up when she looked at the nondescript car he'd said was his. It was old and completely bland almost as if any maker's marque had been stripped from it, rendering it instantly forgettable. But what had made her skin crawl and her breath hitch was when she saw what looked like a doctor's kit sitting quietly on the back seat.

"Please, just take me home." Bella whispered as she clutched her purse to her lap. As she did so she felt the familiar shape of her pepper spray. Taking a deep breath to calm herself a plan borne of desperation began to form in her head as she remembered her father's warning.

o0o0o0o0o

Jasper stretched out alongside Alice's body and began to caress every inch of her, exploring her taught responsive skin with his nervous yet ghostlike fingers and mouth. As he began to relax, his touch gained in confidence as he sought to bring her pleasure.

Dipping his head he sucked and began to feast on a pebbled nipple making Alice moan and arch her back with pleasure as he kneaded her breast gently. Once he was certain he was doing the right thing he looked up and grinned happily, waggling his eyebrows "Now for the other one..."

The only reply he got was soft moan filled with want and need and eyes that sparkled with desire.

o0o0o0o0o

Riley pulled up at a stop sign and looked over to see what Bella was fidgeting with. Realising she was up to something he snatched her purse from her vice like grip and pushed it into the gap between his seat and the door. "Whatever you were planning, you're too late." He said as he grabbed her chin and forced her to turn and look at him before grabbing her hand and forcing it down onto his dress pants and the swollen outline of his cock. Too stunned by the bulge that she was forced to rub against, Bella froze as she realised that she was in trouble.

Deep, deep trouble.

He began to laugh as he pulled away from the now green light. "I hope you're a virgin. I like virgins..." he added, the smile from earlier that had momentarily set her on edge was back, but this time it was more. More sinister, more determined and assessing her but now it was undressing her too.

She shrank back in her seat as moments later he turned into an empty parking lot at the side of a disused warehouse.

As he pulled into the shadows of the building he turned off the engine and emptied her purse into his lap. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" he asked, holding up her pepper spray. "Hurts like fuck if you aim it right, doesn't it, huh?" He asked rhetorically as he turned it in his hand before quickly twisting the cap to open and pointing it at her face.

"What do you want from me?" Bella stuttered out, her mind silently screaming as her body froze.

"Fear... I want your body to use as I chose and your fear. Your deepest darkest screams of hopelessness. You see it's a power game. I love women, I really do and I love what I can make their bodies do. How they surrender to me and let me bend them to my will. I promise I'm going to give you a night you will _never_ forget." He added as he reached out and grabbed her chin, yanking it to him and slamming his lips to hers her forcefully. His tongue pushed its way into her mouth and she began to struggle. Pulling back, Riley grinned. "Yeah, I _really_ love the feisty ones..."

Catching her unaware, he grabbed her, pulling her over the gear shift and onto his lap with almost inhuman speed, and was out of the door with her pinned into his arms before she realised what was happening. Rounding the edge of the building he shoved hard on the door with his shoulder, causing it to open with a reluctant groan before slipping inside, pulling her kicking screaming over to a large pipe that ran down the wall.

"Shh my sweet little Bella!" he cooed as he ran his hand down her chest causing her to struggle even more and yell out for help.

Her movements became more frantic so he back handed her across her cheek, momentarily stunning her.

"I said shut. Up!" he hissed.

She reeled from the impact of his words and his hand then felt cold metal encircle her wrist.

Yep, definitely in trouble! her mind screamed out as she saw him turn back to the door and slam it shut from her forced position, cuffed to the pipe.

o0o0o0o0o

"I need you, Darlin'" Jasper whispered as he lay down next to Alice on the million thread count white sheets and gazed into her face which was enhanced by the soft glow from the side lamp. Caressing her jaw line with his lips he entwined his fingers with hers then encouraged her hand gently down his body before wrapping it round his naked, engorged cock.

"See what you do to me?" He moaned out as he rolled slightly so that he could kiss her again while at the same time giving her space so that she could explore his aching flesh. Smiling up at him she tentatively began to run her lips over the tight muscles of his chest and the skin that covered them as her hand pumped his erection.

Jasper moaned as she gained in confidence and expanded her explorations.

o0o0o0o0o

Bella shut her eyes and imagined that if she clicked her red sparkly slippers together three times she'd be back in Forks and everything would be ok.

"Look at me." Riley ordered as he put both his hands on her satin covered chest, squeezing the pert mounds he found there hard, causing her to whimper in pain and her eyes to snap open. "Yup, no falsies in there eh, Bella?" he grinned as he grabbed the top of her gown and yanked it off her body in several brutal movements before throwing the shredded remains into a corner, several feet away.

Stepping back he stood and stared at her almost naked form. "Nice. I like built in bras." He drooled out as he smashed her free hand against the wall and cupped one of her now naked breasts "but you need to lose the panties too."

After a few moments he twisted her round, forcing her roughly against the wall so that he could run his fingers down her spine and into her panties with one hand and undo his pants, which fell in a puddle round his feet, with the other.

"See what you do to me?" he whispered in her ear as he wrenched her unbound hand backwards and onto his aching flesh as he forced her further against the cold, unforgiving surface.

Tears of hopelessness trickled down her face. This was not supposed to be how it went! Her mind argued. Her first time was supposed to be beautiful, not like this! She began to fight and scream but Riley slammed her into the wall again before biting down on her neck and drawing blood.

Overwhelmed by the brutality of what her mind knew was to come, it shut down completely, becoming oblivious to what Riley was about to do to her body.

o0o0o0o0o

"Jasper I need you." Alice moaned as she came down from her high, a boneless look of ecstasy on her face and looked into Jasper's eyes as they shone with pride and desire from between her legs.

Kneeling up, he leaned over and grabbed a condom packet that he'd put on the nightstand and grinned as he slowly and playfully opened it.

Alice giggled as her nerves kicked in. This was it! They were both going to lose their virginity tonight! she thought happily, as she watched him roll the latex, somewhat awkwardly, down his turgid length.

Once he'd finally got it on, he leaned forward and kissed her nose. "This is probably gonna hurt, Darlin'" he said softly as he lined himself up with her soaking heat.

She nodded in encouragement and he pushed slowly inside, inch by inch, gauging her face for any pain.

"S'ok, Jaz." She said when his hips finally lined up against her own.

Entwining her fingers in his and resting on his elbows he slowly and gently began to move.

"Holy fuck!" she hissed out. "Never knew it would feel this good." She added as a grin spread across her face and she began to move her hips with his.

Jasper pulled back long enough to see blood on his condom covered cock "I love you so much." He whispered worshipfully as he rocked back and forth inside her, gaining speed as he raced to the finish line before finally filling the latex with the evidence of his love.

o0o0o0o0o

Reaching forward Riley thrust his fingers inside her, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Fuck, you're dry as a bone!" he whined out as he pushed Bella off him and walked away, forcing her to jerk round and hit the side of her head on the pipe she was attached to with a dull clunk. Returning seconds later with a bottle of lube and a condom, Bella watched with horror as he tore open the foil packet and covered his cock before snapping open the lube and pouring a generous amount over the latex in his hand.

"This is really gonna hurt, Bella. Are you ready?" he sneered out as he grabbed her, pulling her away from the wall and pushing her down to the floor, sounds of whimpering and metal grating against metal rang out as the cuff slid downwards.

Still slightly dazed from her collision with the pipe, Bella put up no resistance as Riley turned her so that she was lying flat on her back, spread her legs wide and thrust deeply into her body with one forceful movement, pushing her further into the unforgiving concrete.

Bella screamed in agony as he tore into her, taking her innocence in the most hateful way.

"That's it, scream for me, Bella." He grunted as he pulled back long enough to see her blood on his cock before slamming back again and again until he finally filled the latex with the evidence of his twisted hate.

**xxx**

**Hope the contrast in the two scenarios worked for you.**

**Let me know what you think. It will get better for Bella, but sadly not for a while... bear with me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Guys**

**After this chapter I will be posting once a week as RL has a habit of taking over my and the next few weeks will be filled with so much… stuff… plus with children of my own, the run up to Christmas is always a hairy time! Rest assured though, this is my 23****rd**** story (the other 22 were for Janet Evanovich's characters) and all the others are complete. Plot and ending are in place and there are a few chapters already in the bag, but there is plenty of meat to add to the bones so please come along for the ride.**

**If you are enjoying this story, please let your friends know about it and please R & R, it's the only form of payment we get (plus it makes our day ;oP )**

xxx

"We need to get up, AliCat. I've just ordered breakfast and it will be here soon." Jasper murmured softly into Alice's hair as he stroked her bangs out of her sleep filled eyes, watching her moan with pleasure and stretch out like a panther as she came back into focus.

"Hope you're not too sore, Ali." He continued, worried that they'd done too much too soon.

"Not really and only in a good way and thank God for my yoga lessons which I think have helped!" Alice giggled out as she rolled onto her back and beamed up at him.

Last night had been… perfect and they'd enjoyed each other's bodies twice more before finally falling asleep, entwined in each other's soft warmth.

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Jasper peeled himself reluctantly from her side in the dishevelled sheets and sauntered in the direction of the bathroom.

"Did I ever tell you I was good in the shower, Baby?" he threw out over his shoulder with a wink and a wiggle of his hips.

Seconds later he was tackled from behind as Alice threw herself onto his back. "Really?" she giggled suggestively, wrapping herself round him from behind as he walked them into the sophisticated opulence of the honeymoon suite's shower.

Once Jasper had thoroughly cleaned Alice, she sank to her knees and taking the shower gel in her hand, began to carefully and tenderly lather up on his balls and the base of his cock which was definitely enjoying the attention. Jasper closed his eyes but opened them and hissed out in pleasure when she tentatively kissed the tip of his erection before lapping up the drop of precum she found there.

"You don't have to…" he whispered as he ran his hopeful fingers through her short black hair.

"Don't be silly, Jaz! He's such a pretty boy that I need to show him how much I love him." She replied with a playful wink before taking a steadying breath and licking all the way up his length.

Looking up she could see his eyes start to roll in his head so gave him a gentle push, forcing him into the corner where there was a small seat set into the soft beige coloured tiles of the enormous enclosure.

Jasper plopped down with a start onto the porcelain surface and gasped. Allice looked concerned until he added "bit cold!" with a silly look on his face.

Chuckling softly Alice relaxed again "That's ok then!" she said as she crawled over and settled herself back between his legs "Wouldn't want you passing out on me, Big Boy." She cooed as she continued to suck his length into her hot, eager mouth, making up for lack of technique with enthusiasm.

"Shit! Fuck! Gonna cum!" he strangled out moments later in warning as he felt his balls tighten. Alice pulled back and almost immediately ribbons of cum shot out and onto her chin and chest.

After a few seconds he looked down and gave her a lopsided grin. "Fuck, Baby! That was…."

"…I know." Alice said as she kissed his now flaccid cock, proudly. Picking his penis up to study it, she grinned as it started to react in her hand. "See, even he agrees he's much more pretty when he's fully grown…"

"Woman, you'll be the death of me!" Jasper chuckled out, pulling her to her feet and slamming his lips against hers as he pushed her back under the soothing water which began to cascade over their eager bodies.

o0o0o0o0o

Lying on the cold, uncompromising hard floor Bella woke as the dawn broke, filling the warehouse with hopeless, flat light.

Riley had taken her twice more, relishing in her screams as he violated her other more private place. Her insides protested at the treatment they'd received at his hands, her shoulders, back and wrists also throbbed with pain and she was sure she'd cracked her cheek bone. Even her stomach joined in the protest, unhappy at how empty it was.

Sitting up carefully and as quickly as her naked, battered and bruised body would allow she began to look round the cavernous, dust filled warehouse which was now lit only by a couple of windows near the top of one of the long walls.

She could see that once upon a time it looked like it might have been a gym or dance studio and along one wall, she could make out empty hand rail mountings and a couple of broken mirrors.

"Ah, sleeping beauty awakes." Riley chuckled unsmilingly as he stepped out of nowhere, making the dust motes swirl round his legs like angry hornets.

Bella backed further against the wall. "W what are you going to do with me?" she asked as tears threatened to stream down her face.

"Oh, don't cry, pretty one." He said as he stepped closer. "Bet you're hungry and thirsty, aren't you?"

Bella nodded, confused by his apparent concern.

Stepping up to her, he leered at her. "Well, let's fill that pretty little mouth of yours with a _protein shake_, shall we?" he taunted as he grabbed her hair in one hand and unzipped his now jean clad legs with the other. "Open, up, Bella. Take all that I give you. It will be a while until you get anything else to eat." He added with a sneer as he pulled his enthusiastic cock out of his underwear.

Bella whimpered as he forced himself inside her mouth, bracing her free hand on his thigh to stop herself falling over. "Yes! That's it! Take it all." He hissed as he rammed himself in, forcing her to gag. "Ah ah ah! Bella… no puking now!" he added happily, completely unconcerned by her discomfort as he began to thrust.

Holding her head with both of his hands, it wasn't long before he stilled then ejaculated into her mouth. "Don't waste it, Bella. Yeah…Ahhh, oh fuck!" he hissed between clenched teeth, forcing her to keep him buried in her mouth so that she had no choice but to swallow the salty viscous liquid that filled her throat.

Once she had stopped swallowing he pulled away and looked down at her now snot and tear filled face. "Not quite so pretty in the day light are you… Belllaaa? No wonder you could only bag that pathetic loser as your date." He sneered as he tucked himself away and righted his clothing, before capturing her free arm and tethering her to the pipe with another set of cuffs that he quickly pulled from his back pocket while she coughed and tried to calm her breathing. Once he knew she was totally secure he ambled over to the doctor's kit that sat ominously, previously unnoticed, near the entrance to the building.

"Wha what you doing?" Bella whimpered out as he silently bent down and began to rummage around. Within a few short moments he stood up and turned back to her holding a hypodermic in one hand and a piece of rubber tubing in the other.

"Oh, just shortening your chance of survival." He said nonchalantly as he snapped on a pair of plastic gloves. "I'm not a killer, Belllaaa, but it doesn't hurt to render you helpless and feeble…less eye witnesses the better, you know? Hmm?" he said with a twisted smile as he advanced, tapping the bubbles up the tube then squeezing them out, with some of the liquid, out as he got closer.

"Here you go, Belllaaa. Sweet dreams." He said as he put the plastic tube between his teeth and grabbed one of her arms. Bella started to scream and flail about.

"Don't wriggle, Sweetness. It'll only hurt more." He cooed out from round his gag as he yanked her arm straight, tying the strap tightly just above her elbow. He prodded the crook of her elbow, searching for a vein and once he'd found one, pushed in the needle and emptied the contents quickly and efficiently into her. Once finished he removed the strap, rubbed the puncture wound and leaned down to kiss the spot.

"Gotta go, Bella. It was good having you." He added as he saluted her. Turning to leave he dropped a pile of stuff at her feet before picking up the doctor's bag and sauntering out the door which shut behind him with an angry clang.

Once she knew he was gone, she sank to the floor and wondered if she would ever see her Dad, Alice or even Edward again.

"Moooommmm!" she cried out desolately as she pondered whether she was about to join her.

o0o0o0o0o

Alice called Charlie's house for the millionth and Bella's mobile for the zillionth time.

"She's not there!" she whimpered. "Something's not right, Jaz." She added, glancing over at Jasper who was returning her worried looks.

"Let's go by her house, ok. Maybe she slept in late?"

"Sure." Came the sceptical reply.

"Charlie's gonna kill me if anything's happened to her…"

"Don't, AliCat. It'll all be ok. _She'll_ be ok." Jasper added determinedly, putting his foot down hard on the pedal.

Silence and guilt filled the car as they both hoped he wasn't lying.

As they pulled up to Charlie's white clapboard house they could see no signs of movement. Alice scrabbled in her purse for her keys as the Jag came to a halt and once she'd found them at the bottom of her cavernous bag quickly let herself out.

Racing up the drive and onto the porch she thrust Bella's key, given a long time before as a sign of her BFF status, into the lock and turned it, slamming the front door against the neighbouring wall in her haste to enter.

"Anyone home?" Alice yelled as she raced up the stairs with Jasper hot on her tail.

"Jaz, we need to call my Mom…" Alice sobbed out as he collided with her back and they both stared into Bella's empty room with its neatly made bed.

o0o0o0o0o

Bella coughed, her head full of cotton wool and her mouth dry as a desert as she lay in the dust, surrounded by fear, exhaustion and drug induced nausea. She had no idea how long she'd been lying there, but if her empty stomach was any indication, it was at least a few hours. Now she was worried.

Worried that Riley would return.

Worried that he would not.

Sitting up slightly, she remembered the pile of things Riley had dropped on the floor near her feet. Hesitantly she kicked over the items with her foot and let out a sob as she realised there was a very realistic wig, an empty coloured contact lens case and the glasses he'd been wearing.

Elation filled her as she realised that although she had no clue as to what her attacker really looked like at least she was still alive.

And _he_ was not coming back.

She clung onto the hope that she could survive.

She needed to go home!

Her Dad needed her!

She needed to tell Alice it wasn't her fault!

She needed to focus on staying alive...

Trying to move as little as possible due to the pain that thrummed through her body she huddled into herself for warmth as night descended and darkness wrapped her in its arms.

For the first time in years she began to pray, only stopping as exhaustion and the drugs overtook her.

Moment later she heard a noise that was loud enough to rouse her from her slide into oblivion. She wasn't sure if it was real, whether she was dreaming or just being too hopeful but she thought she could hear the distant sounds of humanity. Someone or something was trying to get in through the door. Slowly standing and as clumsy as a newborn foal, she carefully ran her cuffs up the pipe so that she was ready to meet her visitor.

"Hello?" she yelled out as adrenalin raced round her failing body, buoying her up and giving her the strength to yell out.

"Hello?! Is anyone there? Please, _please_ help me!" she screamed frantically, rattling her cuffs, the movement biting into her broken flesh. Hoping that someone would hear her and come to her rescue because the alternative did not bear thinking about.

Her hopes were dashed and she slowly collapsed back down to the floor again with a loud sob when a raccoon scrabbled round the corner and into the large interior.

Her last thought was that she'd never see those she loved ever again and she cried as whatever he'd injected finally won the battle and overtook her for the last time.

o0o0o0o0o

"Slow down, Alice!" Esme ordered as her frantic daughter blurted out what had happened over her cell phone.

Having it on loud speaker allowed Jasper to listen in and he winced as he heard both sides of Alice's frantic and tear laden call as he drove them back to her home.

"We'll find this Riley Biers boy, I promise, Honey." Esme said, trying to placate her near hysterical daughter. "Just get home as soon as you can. I'll speak to your Dad, he'll know what to do, but don't worry, I'm sure they're doing what a lot of kids do after Prom. They're probably at La Push or Jessica's party with the rest of the class…"

"Thanks, Mom…Bye." Alice said quietly as she finished the call.

Jasper pulled onto the bottom of the long driveway that led to the Cullen family home a few minutes later and they rode up the long, unmade road to the house. Daylight flickered through the dense canopy like little wisps of hope, quickly being replaced by the shadows again. All too soon they pulled up to an impressive glass and wood structure that was straight out of Esme Cullen's head.

Renowned architect Esme Platt had met famous cardiac surgeon Carlisle Cullen when they were students at a party and the rest as they say, was history. They'd married young and had Emmett and Edward in quick succession and then five and a half years later Alice had appeared to complete their family. As they waited for their third child to be born, the builders re-created Esme's vision and the five of them had lived in the three story, six bedroom sprawling Bauhaus inspired home ever since Alice had been born.

Alice turned to Jasper "I love you, you know that, right?" Jasper nodded, wondering where Alice was going with her declaration.

"Just help me keep everyone calm, ok?" she added as a knowing look came over Jasper's face. After last night, he'd walk over burning coals for her, so stopping her from falling apart was something he would move heaven and earth to try and do.

"Always Darlin'." He replied to everything she had just asked of him.

Opening the door of Jasper's car they walked the walk of shame and into the house, holding hands and ready to face her parents.

o0o0o0o0o

Charlie grinned as he thought about the abundant haul of fish he had in the cooler box in the trunk of his car. Shame they'd had to cut their trip short but the weather had closed in rapidly so they'd cut their losses and left early.

Thinking about the large, beautiful creatures that had been tempted to try his bait time after time and the fact that he had caught so much in such a short space of time made him even happier. For every small fish his best friend Billy had netted, he had caught three big ones.

Smiling he turned to Billy who pretended to glare back from the passenger seat, crossing his arms.

In reality Billy had had a ball and even if his fishing results had left a lot to be desired, the company he'd kept had been great. But he was having fun pretending to be pissed.

"Admit it, old man." Charlie said, gloating. "You're angling skills suck."

Billy harrumphed good naturedly and pretended to stare out of the window.

Charlie chuckled with glee and twitched his moustache as they headed home.

"Don't worry, I'll share." He added with amusement in his voice. "No-one needs to know…" he added, wiggling his eyebrows in mirth.

"Seriously! Do you really think I'd take charity from you, Paleface!" Billy retorted with a grin on his face.

He was about to say more when Charlie's cell dinged. "Ah, back in the land of civilisation" he added as he rummaged round in his jacket pocket then tossed his phone to Billy "Check it out will ya." He added as he indicated and turned onto a road the sat nav dictator told him he needed to take.

Billy pressed a few buttons and waited for the messages to be replayed. "Fuck!" he whispered out. Charlie's head snapped round and he eyes studied his fishing pal's face for a few seconds.

"We need to get to the Cullens a-sap." Billy added. "Bella never got home from the Prom."

**xxx**

**Hope you like this chapter, if so, please tell your friends about it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hi Guys

Thank to the readers who left reviews, please keep them coming. Sadly I can't thank the guest reviewers individually, but please keep leaving me your kind words and I'll continue to smile as a result of your feedback.

Anyway, let's get back to our poor cast members, shall we?

Enjoy

xxx

o0o0o0o0o

Two hours later and nothing.

No one had seen or heard from Bella since she's left the prom. She'd not made it down to the beach party and she'd not joined Jessica's get-together either. Mike Newton admitted to making her mad and seeing her storm off some new kid, but had no further idea of what happened next as his stomach decided to revolt so he'd had to dash off to the rest rooms. He was the last person to speak to her.

No-one wanted to say it, but they all wondered if the kids at the prom were going to be the last people to see her alive.

"Honey. We're out of options, we're going to _have_ to call the police." Esme finally admitted with a sigh as she sat down next to Edward and stared up at her husband from the large solid, heavy oak kitchen table that was now littered with coffee mugs, phones and hastily scribbled phone numbers.

Earlier Jasper had taken Alice upstairs and once he'd calmed her down and she'd fallen asleep he'd returned to help in the search.

Carlisle nodded in agreement and reluctantly headed back to his office. A few minutes later he returned with a grim look on his face.

"I've got some news, Jasper can you go and get Alice, please." Jasper nodded, stood up and quickly and silently left the room. Whatever it was, he thought, was not good news. It was obvious that Carlisle felt they needed to hear it together. Reluctantly he realised that they needed to be strong and work as a team with whatever shit Carlisle had to tell them…

Oh Fucking _Hell_! He mentally ranted as he raced up the stairs.

Edward got up, moving to the window as his hand automatically ran through his hair with frustration and stared out to the exact position he'd last seen Bella as she entered the limo before leaving for the prom.

He remembered that he'd chuckled as he'd watched his Angel snarl at Newton and forcibly remove his arm from her ass when he pretended to help her into the plush interior. Now all he could think of was that he hoped she was still alive and in one piece. His heart clenched as several nauseating scenarios filled his head, each one worse than the last.

She was too good for all of them and she _couldn't_ be dead!

He would have _felt_ it!

He was convinced of that and as he stood watching the world go by he swore, on his grandmother's grave, that he would do whatever was needed to keep her safe from now on.

Once she was home…

Oh God! _Please_ bring her home!

Esme stood up, the sound of her chair scraping loudly across the tiled floor and pulling Edward back from his dark thoughts. Instinctively he turned round and watched his mother walk towards both of them, stopping at Carlisle side and squeezing his shoulder as they all stood, gazing out of the window.

"Please tell me it's all going to be ok." She pleaded, looking intently into his face as she reached, gently and almost automatically, to encase her son's hand in her own, seeking comfort from both of her men.

Carlisle gave a momentary look that spoke volumes of despair and put his hand over hers in a show of solidarity, patting the back of her hand slowly in a bid to provide comfort.

"Much as I'd love to, it's not looking too good right now…" he said softly just as Jasper returned trailing a grief stricken Alice reluctantly behind him by the hand.

Turning, Carlisle looked at everyone in the room, forcing the three-way contact to break at each point and Esme shadowed him.

"I've just gotten off the phone from Fork's Police and I'm afraid I have some bad news… I don't know how to begin to sugar coat this, so I won't even try." He said, stopping to gather his thoughts and take a deep breath as all eyes stared at his pain filled face.

"Riley Biers has been dead for three years." He said softly, trying to remain calm and composed, a muscle in his jaw flickered, giving away his inner shock as he fought to keep control of his emotions.

Silence filled the room as everyone took in the stunning news.

Carlisle pulled Esme into his comforting arms and held her while she sobbed and he looked wretchedly over at Jasper, Alice and Edward who stood inhumanly still as they absorbed the truth.

No-one spoke and the only sounds that filled the air were those of hopelessness.

o0o0o0o0o

"What do you mean she never made it home?! She should have been with you Alice!" Charlie raged as he paced the floor of the Cullen kitchen, oblivious to the distress and guilt etched all over Alice's face.

"If it hadn't been for your selfish need to disappear with Lover Boy here." Charlie ranted out, jerking his thumb at Jasper. "She'd still be safe. She'd not have left the prom with him… I've told her never to go with strangers. Fuck! What was she _thinking_!" he howled as he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

Those remaining in the room looked to Billy for guidance.

"I'll go speak with him." Billy said softly, sadly before wheeling himself out of the door behind his friend.

Between sobs, all Alice kept repeating was "I'm sorry, so sorry…" as Esme held her in her arms and rocked her. "Shh, baby, I'm sure it's ok." She added, looking up at Carlisle and Edward, hoping to find strength in their silence.

In the first instance no-one moved, unsure of what to do, as they waited to see if Billy would be able to bring Charlie back inside. But eventually Esme walked over to the coffee machine and started to make new drinks for everyone just to give her hands something to do while they waited for Charlie and Billy to return.

Time passed, denoted by the ticking of the clock and what felt like an eternity later Charlie and Billy finally returned. Charlie looked twenty years older than he had less than half an hour earlier and Billy looked like he'd been crying.

"I remember the case as if it were yesterday." Charlie said finally as he sank into a chair and buried his face into his forearms. Taking a deep breath to steady his voice eventually he sat back up and continued with his story.

"Riley Biers was a good kid, well educated, captain of the school soccer team, golden future in his parent's business once he'd finished college. He had a gorgeous and doting, albeit slightly vacuous, fiancée waiting patiently at home… In fact his whole life was mapped out for him. One evening he went to work as usual at one of the campus bars but after finishing for the night he simply disappeared. His parents called Seattle, Port Angeles and a couple of days later, Forks Police, wanting to put posters up everywhere, which we all gladly did. Reading between the lines though the boys in all the different departments were convinced the pressure of living up to his parents' dreams had gotten to him and that he had decided to run away for a while and have some time off from his responsibilities. Tell the truth I wasn't at all surprised when he turned up dead."

Charlie sniffed in slowly and deeply before continuing.

"His remains were found a week later in the Hoh river. He'd obviously jumped off the bridge. In a letter they later found in his locker, he told of how he looked on his future with dread. How he'd spent all his life trying to be perfect for everyone else. How he didn't want to disappoint anyone. You see he'd met a guy, James Hunter, and had fallen in love. Only trouble was James was totally straight and had rejected his advances, threatening to reveal his sexual tendencies. Riley couldn't take it any more so decided to end everything. They never found this James guy to get his side of the story and to cross him off any suspect list. Thing was, it was clear that Riley had acted alone so no-one had really looked for the other man and the case was closed once the coroner had ruled that suicide was the cause of death."

"So, who is this guy and why would he be pretending to be someone else?" Edward asked, changing the focus back to Bella's disappearance.

"Not sure, but if it's the guy who's been raping and tormenting his way round Seattle he's bad news. But the problem is that his description keeps changing. Some of the victims tell us he's got blue eyes and black hair, others green with a buzz cut and a tattoo on his scalp. Hell he's even had a beard and glasses…"

"So his victims survive?" Asked Alice, hopefully.

"Mostly. But a few were discovered too late. He tends to inject them with a big dose of insulin then hide them away. Some survive. Others… well let's just say they went to sleep and never woke up…"

Carlisle nodded in understanding. "Billy, can you get Sam and his team of trackers on the case? If she's still in the area maybe they'll find her?" he asked as he turned to him.

"Yeah. Good idea. If anyone's going to find her it's them, especially Jake, he's the best in the State."

o0o0o0o0o

Emmett Cullen, the oldest of the Cullen Clan by two years had originally set out to be a line-backer but due to injury early on in his college days had moved to Seattle once he'd graduated where he decided to become a personal trainer instead. For quite a while he'd had aspirations to set up his own gym and about now seemed the perfect time. His professional life was successful and there was plenty of demand for his skill plus his personal life had settled down too.

As he drove his car through the mid morning traffic, he thought back to earlier when over the phone he'd promised his Mom he would go over to lend some moral support to his kid sister, Alice, as her best friend Bella had gone missing a couple of days before.

During that call, he'd explained he had two important things, one business the other pleasure that he had to do first but had promised to be with them by lunch time.

First things first, the business deal.

He had the finances in place for him to branch out and follow his dream and his realtor had found a vacant warehouse that fitted the bill. Slightly further out than he would have liked, the building fitted every other criteria that he'd had so he decided to take a look at it anyway. He wanted to show his girlfriend the building he'd found and sound her out on its potential. Rose was not only talented and beautiful and the keeper of his heart, but she had a keen nose for business too.

Then, once he'd shown her his idea for their financial future he planned on getting down on one knee and asking her to change her name, she could wear a big white frou frou white dress or even a toga in front of an Elvis impersonator if that's what she wanted. He really wasn't bothered how they got married, he just wanted forever with her.

He patted the small box nestled in his pants' pocket to make sure it was safe and smiled to himself.

Looking over the console of his car he grinned at the unsuspecting woman by his side before climbing out and rushing round to open her door.

"We're here!" he grinned out, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the car.

"But it's an empty warehouse, Em!" Rose whined out, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulders and down her back towards her sculpted posterior.

"Yeah, but just think! It's big enough that we could have a coupla studios for your physical therapy sessions and I could put in a swimming pool and a hall for the wheelchair guys to play basketball and badminton…and… Please, just come take a look? The realtor says it's available freehold so if it doesn't work out you could even use it for building cars…. Please?"

Rose looked at the huge puppy dog of a man by her side. How could she resist him?

They'd met after the shoot out that had cost her her lower leg. He was one of the PT instructors at the hospital she'd been taken to and he'd spent four months bullying her back to health and yelling at her to get over herself. After one particularly vibrant verbal spat she gotten up, walked over and slapped him round the face before kissing him senseless and they'd never looked back.

"Alright! All right!" she laughed out as she let him pull her away from his black Ford Expedition.

They went round the side of the building and quickly arrived at what could become the front door of their new business venture.

As they got closer, Emmett frowned.

"What's up, Em?" Rose asked noticing his concern.

"The realtor told me the place was secure. Looks like the door's been forced." He added, holding up the key. "I should be needing to use this, but it looks like I won't…" he added, pushing her behind his back.

"Stay here, Babe. I'll just check we've got no squatters." He added, putting his hand on her shoulder, silently asking her not to follow him.

"Just be careful, ok?" she replied, reaching into the back of her pants and pulling out her gun. "Here, take this." She added. Once a cop, always a cop, she thought as she mentally patted her leg.

Emmett nodded, took the shooter and gingerly pushed the door open slightly and slid inside.

Seconds passed, maybe even minutes, could even have been hours…

"Rose! Call an ambulance!" Emmett shouted frantically "and pick you lock picks with you!"

o0o0o0o0o

"How is she, Dad?" Edward asked as Carlisle stepped out of the room Bella had been taken to. Nodding at his frantic son, he walked over to Charlie who was immediately on his feet.

Gently and tenderly placing his hand on the widower's shoulder he whispered "she's a fighter, Charlie. She's gonna make it but she is in for a tough time. Physically she'll heal in a few weeks, but mentally… I won't lie. It's gonna take a lot longer."

Charlie swallowed as tears of relief and sadness filled his eyes. "Thanks." He whispered. "Can I see her yet?"

"Give the nurses a few moments to get her settled after the surgery." He said.

Nodding Charlie sat down stoically in his plastic seat once more as everyone else stood round at a loss at what to say or do.

o0o0o0o0o

Thanks for reading and please pimp this story out if you feel it's worth reading. This is the last we'll see of any detailed nastiness so from now on in, it's all about getting Bella better (but there may be a coupla bumps along the way...)

See you all next week

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

**Please note, I am not a doctor, but have been a type 1 diabetic in the past (pregnancy related, twice) hence my use of insulin in this story as I know how it can affect people. If what I say is incorrect, please forgive me – I did do some research but got only sketchy information so have made the rest up – artistic licence and all that!**

**Thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter, you made me smile.**

**Please note from here on in there will be no more violence, just the story that leads to Bella's healing – or will it? Read on to find out more… **

**o0o0o0o0o**

Three hours earlier:

Edward's POV

Billy was just finishing up a call to one of his tracker buddies, Sam Embry from the Quileute Res, when Dad's work phone went off.

All eyes turned to watch him as he stood, busy on the phone.

"Thanks for the call Doug, can you just hold on one sec." He began, putting his hand over the mouthpiece so that he could relay part of the conversation he'd obviously just had.

"A Jane Doe has just been found and is being rushed to the Olympic Medical Centre in Ports Angeles." He explained before waving at us all to stem the flow of questions that we were all desperate to ask as we huddle round him, trying to listen to the call. He gestured to us all to give him space so we moved back, but only slightly.

We all knew he'd connections at all of the nearby hospitals and that he'd called them all earlier asking for a heads up if anyone fitting Bella's description was brought in. Maybe we were about to get some answers.

Waving his hand again for silence, Dad focused back on Doug who was obviously waiting patiently on the other end of the phone, and began nodding his head as their conversation progressed.

"Young girl, slight build?

…

"Long brown hair?

…

"Does she have any distinguishing features? Ok, a mole high on her left thigh you say, shaped like a kidney, one sec please."

He quickly turned to Charlie who stood at his shoulder, clutching and unclutching his fist as he struggled to stay silent. Understanding the unasked question, Charlie nodded to confirm the birthmark, suddenly perking up as he did so, his eyes filling with hope for the first time since he'd entered our house what seemed like aeons ago as he focused on Dad's conversation.

"Get the EMT's to check for an overabundance of insulin.

…

"Yeah.

…

"Thanks Doug, I appreciate it. We'll be there as quick as we can…

"It's her!" He finally explained as he closed his phone and clamped his hand on Bella's Dad's arm as a gesture of comfort. Everyone let out the breath they'd been holding since he first started to take the call.

"Vital signs are poor but improving" he explained.

"She's been stabilised en route to the hospital. Looks like she's in one piece but once they get there they're going to take her straight into surgery as she's got some deep wounds that have gone septic, a couple of suspected fractures and she's in a coma."

My Angel was alive! From what Dad was not saying, though, I knew she was in a really bad way. Little signs that if you hadn't known my father you wouldn't have spotted, spoke far more than the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"She'll be in surgery for a while as they need to assess the damage. Looks like she's been beaten quite badly and… well let's wait for the rest to be confirmed." Dad added.

I walked backwards until I hit something and slid down the kitchen cabinet that I suddenly found behind me, landing unceremoniously on the floor with a soft woomf.

If she was in a coma she'd either gained a head wound or the insulin had nearly killed her! How the fuck did anyone get off on that?! I mentally ranted.

Suddenly I was radiating red, deep angry violent shades of red, with black seeping in round the edges as I processed reality - my beautiful Angel had been beaten and raped!

I inhaled deeply, trying to slow my racing pulse. I needed to calm done because I knew if I didn't I would lose my shit in front of people that cared very deeply for her.

Slamming my fist into the cabinet nearest to me, I took a deep breath and with adrenalin fuelled superhuman speed stood up and ran.

"Let him go." I heard Mom say quietly but with understanding. Fleetingly I realised that I hadn't hidden my feelings for Bella as much as I thought.

But I didn't care.

I needed peace.

I needed space.

I needed…

I don't know how long it took, or how I even got there, there the next thing I remember I was in my sanctuary, my meadow, collapsed in a heap and sobbing, even as I struggled to breathe.

Exhausted, I slid, face down, to the ground and for some bizarre reason began to notice the delicate wild flowers that surrounded me. Their innocence and sheer joy at being alive was mirrored in the delighted dance they did when the wind tickled them. It made my heart stutter and I reached out and ran my hands through their multiltude before pulling a scrappy multi-coloured fistful to my face and breathing in its delicate perfume.

I lay there shrouded by my grief unaware of anything but the flowers until my phone went off in my pocket.

"Y'ello?" I rasped out.

"Edward, you ok, Son?" Mom's voice asked, full of concern.

"Sure."

"Your Dad's just gone to the hospital with everyone but I said I'd wait here for you…

"It was Emmett that found her…"

"Is he ok?" I asked, suddenly sitting up, still clutching the flowers, some of which now lay round me like a halo.

"Yeah, think he feels guilty. Something about getting distracted first thing so was later than planned at getting to the warehouse…" I could hear the amusement in my Mom's voice. She knew exactly what he had been up to.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Have I ever told you how much I love you, Mom?" I whispered.

Mom didn't reply, she just made a funny gulping sound.

"Mom? Now…I'm on my way home. Now… K?"

"Sure, Honey, be safe." She replied as I ended the call.

I needed to get back! We were all a part of Bella's life and I was not the only one suffering.

Standing I turned to give my meadow one last lingering look and prayed that one day I would bring my Angel here. Clutching my informal bouquet tightly I set off at a sprint.

o0o0o0o0o

Jasper's POV

When Edward raced out of the house, Esme's quiet command to let him go spoke volumes and we all stood and watched his tormented body disappear into the trees.

Moments later Carlisle's phone went off again and he moved over to one of the kitchen units, where he leaned heavily against the granite as he looked at the caller then took the call.

"Son?"

…

"Where are you?

…

"You did what?!" He gasped out softly. Turning quickly he left the room as all eyes looked on quizzically.

Alice's POV

Mom came over and gave me a hug just as Dad's phone went off and Edward called him from wherever he'd run to. I hoped with all my heart that my clever, beautiful, oversensitive big brother was going to be OK. I'd had an inkling that he cared for Bella, but his violent reaction to Dad's confirmation that she'd been found made me realise that his wasn't a passing fancy.

His feelings ran much deeper than that.

But right now I needed all my family round me, including my other, even bigger big brother who was now officially late. It was just gone 2 o'clock, way past lunchtime and he'd promised he'd be here!

I knew from what Mom had said he'd got some business to attend to with Rosalie his girlfriend. Something about a building they were going to look at but family is family and right now, in the middle of a huge crisis, he needed to put us all first, you know?

Jasper leaned over and squeezed my hand – guess he could see that I was about to have a tantrum.

Thank you, good call, Jas! I mentally smiled at his ability to see when I needed him most.

Right now, I don't think Charlie would hesitate to shoot me if I started going off on one, seeing as he probably thinks I'm public enemy Number 1.

Hey, I may be selfish, but I'm not the bad guy here? That… that fiend who attacked my sister, er I mean Bella, is the one he should be venting at. Really!

Mom reluctantly left my side once Jasper took over, helping me to keep breathing and stay calm and I watched her glide over and sink down into the chair next to Charlie who was still in shock, Billy at his side. She smiled softly at Billy, extending her hand to cover his, before focusing her softly spoken conversation back to Bella's Dad.

Did I ever mention that my Mom is the best? Right now she was the glue holding everyone in the room together. My heart swelled at her ability to give love and support.

My Mom was awesome… if only Bella had a Mom like mine. I thought back to the night of the accident that killed Renee. Oh, poor Charlie! I remember talking to him a couple of days later when I was trying to cheer Bella up. He was beyond destroyed by her death….

I took a deep breath as I wondered what was going through his head. He'd lost his wife and because of me his pride and joy was lying broken in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.

"Breathe, Alice, just breathe" Jasper whispered into my ear immediately calming me. He was right. This was not about me. It was about Bella and Charlie and right now we all needed to be there to support them in any way we could.

I looked over at Mom who was still talking to Charlie and Billy and watched as all three nodded in agreement at whatever she'd suggested then they all sat motionless as they waited for Dad to return.

Moments later he did so.

"Looks like it was Emmett and Rose that found her." He explained.

OK, so I think I might need to let my big big brother off for being late…

On this occasion…

"Emmett called the emergency services and Rose managed to keep her warm while they got to the scene. They're on the way to the hospital too. I think we should go join them." He added as he headed over to the key dish and fished out the ones for his car.

Still in shock, no-one moved.

"Coming anybody?" he added with a slight smile.

Immediately chaos reigned as everyone scrambled to find keys, coats, phones…

As one, the family unit we had suddenly morphed into went to action stations and barrelled out the kitchen door.

00o0o0o0o

Billy's POV

The hospital was cool, calm, collected. The absolute opposite of how we all felt.

I cursed my wrecked body from years of being ravaged by multiple schlerosis, and wished I could sweep in and clear the way for my broken buddy so that he could get right to Bella, but sadly I couldn't even get past the nurse on the reception desk.

Charlie hadn't said much after he'd told everyone about the Biers kid, but I knew he was holding on by a thread. Esme had been wonderful and I really hoped that Charlie would take up her kind offer for him and Bella to stay with the Cullens once she came out of hospital. Her suggestion made perfect sense. They would be surrounded by people they knew and loved as a second family. Hell, if I didn't know better I would have said they were all part of the same family. Brought together by time and circumstances over the years and cemented by the horror of the last few hours.

On the way to the hospital Charlie had called in some favours and from what he told me I guessed the cops hadn't found many clues to the identity of the sicko that had attacked Bella so I suggested I call Sam and his team.

He agreed and so I immediately gave my mate Sam Embry a call down at the Res.

Sam and his team of trackers had a rep for finding people when no-one else could. Seems they knew about the Biers case and one of the guys on his team called Ephraim, if I remember right, found his body. He'd retired not long after but his grandson, Jake, who also had amazing instincts had a big desire to carry on the family tradition.

I just hoped they'd find something if all else failed.

o0o0o0o0o

**Just needed to let everyone have a few ideas of what was going on in people's heads. Next week Bella wakes up. Who do you think she will ask for first?!**

**Let me know who you think it should be?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi Guys, sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, My Dad's been taken into hospital and so we've been back and forth visiting him. Nothing too serious, just old age and an allergy to doing any form of physical activity which led to him falling... The only upside is that because the hospital is near a very good shopping centre I finished my Christmas present buying - even my daughters' Christmas stockings!**

**Anyway, thanks to those of you who reviewed my last chapter. Thank you for your kinds words and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. **

**xxx**

Carlisle had warned him what to expect, but Charlie nearly rushed back out of the room when he saw the sight of his daughter in the dimly lit hospital bed as she lay motionless, looking so tiny and fragile. His breakfast threatening to make a reappearance but after several deep breaths the threat went away.

Wires seemed to snake up, down, around and into her body. She was wearing a helmet of stark white crepe bandage with her hair poking out like weeds on an abandoned wall and some sort of taping round her jaw. He could also see dressings that disappeared under the covers.

Taking a deep breath he slowly inched forward trying not to make too much noise in case he startled her.

Carlisle stayed just inside the door to the room to give Charlie all the space he needed, assessing his reaction.

"S'ok. Charlie. She's in a medically induced coma at the moment. You'll not frighten her" Carlisle explained from his vantage point as he watched his friend's uncertainty.

"Doug's team managed to pull her out of the insulin induced coma she was in when Emmett found her, but she's taken a nasty couple of bangs to her head which caused internal swelling and they felt it best to let it go down. Plus it has the added advantage of letting the rest of her body heal a bit before she comes back to face what has happened."

Charlie nodded numbly as he continued to inch towards the end of the bed. Finally he was close enough that he could tentatively touch the outline of her foot through the thin hospital blanket.

"She's in good hands." Carlisle added gently as he joined him and rested his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Doug Kerridge is the best of the best and I trust that he will do the right thing."

"Hu-how long before she'll come round?"

"Doug's second in command, Tom, will assess her in a couple of hours, but it's unlikely he'll bring her round for a while yet. I've asked them to let me know once they've made a decision. But with all things, whatever they decide may change if she shows any early signs of improvement." He decided not to add that just as easily things could go the other way. His friend didn't need that kind of information, he was in a bad enough way as it was, clearly holding on by a thread.

"What's actually wrong with her?" Charlie whispered as he began to sidle round the bed so that he could reach out and caress the back of her hand.

"She's got a fractured jaw, a broken wrist and like I said swelling on the brain. She's been banged about a lot but luckily all her external wounds are fairly superficial and shouldn't leave any obvious scars but she is likely to have quite pronounced scarring internally…"

"Fuck!" Charlie hissed out running a frustrated hand across his face. "Did he… rape… her?" he growled. "Tell me the truth, Carlisle, I need to know exactly what that bastard did to her!"

"Looks like he made the most of all her major orifices but the rape kit didn't provide any foreign…DNA. He left no traces…" Carlisle said carefully, studying Charlie's face to guage his reaction. He knew if it was Alice on that bed he'd want to know exactly how badly she was hurt, no matter how horrible the injuries were. He'd store the information away and use it to fuel his anger if he ever got the chance to come face to face with the butcher that put her where Bella was right now. …"on the plus side though, there doesn't seem to have been any long term damage to her pelvis…"

Charlie sobbed and his knees gave way, causing him to collapse, but Carlisle caught him in a bear hug before he could hit the floor and they plonked awkwardly but gently onto the cold linoleum together in an unruly heap.

"What if he's broken her? My beautiful baby! I should have been here! She's only a baby! Oh my God, Carlisle!" Charlie whimpered out.

At that moment Esme stuck her head round the door and saw the two men slumped on the floor. Rushing over she encircled them in her arms and tried to pass her strength to them through the warmth of her body and the caresses she gave.

All three of them lay on the floor, locked in Charlie's misery, inextricably bound with ties that could never be broken as the Cullen and Swan family became one.

o0o0o0o0o

Esme's POV

I'd been wrestling with a particularly challenging brief from one of my more picky, uber rich clients, when Alice phoned me and told she thought Bella was missing.

Initially part of me was pissed that Alice had lied about where she was sleeping last night, but part of me was relieved that if the rapist that had been attacking Port Angeles and Seattle had taken Bella it meant that Alice was safe. Mentally I cringed at the realisation of my thoughts. Was I really that shallow?!

God forbid that Bella was in trouble!

Isabella Marie Swan was the most sensible and sweet girl I've ever met and older than her years. An old soul, some might say. But I knew that it was partly due to the fact that Renee, God rest her soul, was an erratic and hair brained Mom at best, bordering on irresponsible at worst and that Bella had had to grow up a little faster than she should have had to as a result.

Was it possible for a child to become the mother? Well, to a certain degree, it had happened in Bella's case. But somehow the family just… worked and there had been an awful lot of love and laughter in their house. And quite a large dose of chaos too.

Renee's tragic death had left a hole in Charlie and Bella's life that will probably never heal completely but after her passing they became a neat little two-some. Heaven help the boy that comes round and asks Charlie if he can date his daughter. Charlie would be polishing his guns and axe in anticipation. I chuckled at the thought.

Moments later I was pulled from my mental meanderings as Alice barrelled through the door with Jasper seconds behind. The look on her face told me all I needed to know.

Quickly I mustered the troops and we set about phoning everyone we could think of. Parents, their offspring, friends, Carlisle even spoke to his opposite numbers at all the nearby hospitals. Someone must surely know where she was?

All through our searching, Jasper and Edward were fantastic. Much as I love Alice she does tend towards being a bit flighty so I realised that the best thing she could do was get out of the situation and get some rest. After all, it would appear that she didn't get much last night and yes, we will be discussing that point later…

Looking over occasionally at my middle child, I hoped that he was doing ok. Even as he rang people I could tell he was getting frustrated at the negative answers. And his reaction was far more intense than that of a friend…

The penny dropped and so many things made sense.

My poor boy, so sensitive.

So I wasn't surprised that when we got the news that she'd been found he took off. He knew enough about what Carlisle was not saying that he'd worked out what had happened to Bella and he just ran.

My poor, poor boy.

When the others left to go to the hospital at Port Angeles I decided to wait for Edward. I knew that it would be a while before Bella would be out of surgery but Carlisle would be there for Charlie when she did, so he was in safe hands. But right now, I was almost as worried for my own child.

Alice had Jasper, Emmett had his girlfriend, Rose but Edward had no-one. I'd had my suspicions that he'd been harbouring feelings for Bella, but his actions this afternoon confirmed it. He'd had a few girlfriends in the past, but none had ever really been serious. The last one, Tanya I think she was called, played at the same orchestra as he did, but that had been ages ago and I got the impression she'd got frustrated at his lack of commitment.

Now I know why.

Looking up at the clock, I quickly phoned my husband who confirmed they'd just arrived at the hospital and he'd been given a status report on Bella's injuries. It wasn't good. Externally she was in bad shape but in time her injuries would heal. However, internally and mentally she had scars that could become a permanent fixture in her life. My heart bled for her and her father. Renee's early death was a tragedy but this had the potential to be so much worse.

I vowed on my mother's grave to do all that I could to help Charlie and Bella, after all they were practically family and had been since my best friend's fatal accident. I often thought I had two daughters not one, as Bella and Alice seemed to be joined at the hip and she often stayed for sleepovers.

Glancing at my watch again, I picked up the phone and dialled Edward.

"Y'ello?" I heard him ask shakily. I could hear the tears and heartbreak in his voice.

Yeah, Charlie and Bella were as much a part of this family as anyone called Cullen and it was time to bring them all together.

o0o0o0o0o

"Tell me what happened." Charlie asked Emmett as they sat in the cafeteria a couple of hours later, pretending to sip on the surprisingly good coffee they served.

Carlisle was off talking with one of the surgeons and Esme had taken Alice and Jasper home. Edward had followed her in Charlie's car, with Billy and Rose as passengers. No-one expected Charlie to leave the hospital for a while and he could easily get a lift with Carlisle if he wanted to do so.

Picking at donut that lay on the table in front of him, Emmett told him how he and Rose had come to be at the warehouse.

"We were lucky, Mr Swan." Emmett added when he'd finished. He didn't need to add just how lucky.

"You kept the crime scene neat." Charlie added, skating over Emmett's comment. He knew how close he'd come to losing his child and how touch and go things still were.

"Yeah, well Rose is a former cop. Pensioned off after her accident."

"Well she did good."

"Thank you, Sir. I'll tell her."

Charlie nodded before turning back to his coffee.

"It's Charlie." He added after a few minutes.

"Sorry, Sir?"

"Any man who saves my daughter calls me Charlie. And that goes for any woman too." He added pointedly.

"Yes s… Charlie." Emmett replied with a nod.

Glancing down at his watch, Charlie stood. "I need to get back, Son." He said by way of explanation.

Emmett nodded in understanding and watched as Charlie stood up and hurried away, his coffee untouched where it sat.

o0o0o0o0o

Charlie POV (several hours later)

It's been twenty three hours and forty two minutes since they found my baby and brought her to the hospital and I have yet to sleep. I daren't.

She is all I have left in this world of my own flesh and blood, although I am starting to realise that I have another family that seems to have adopted me and mine.

I need to be strong. I need to be here when she wakes. What if she doesn't wake?!

She looks so fragile lying there surrounded by wires…

Oh God! Why me? What did I do to deserve this fate?!

Losing Renee was almost impossible to endure and I still miss her daily, but thanks to Bella I have begun to live again. I can't lose her now!

I'm.

So.

Tired.

Please let her be OK.

I need her in my life. My Bels, my baby…

I can't break down again. It was bad enough that Esme and Carlisle saw me fall apart, but I've known them forever and they were there for me when I lost Renee.

Please God, Allah, Buddah, Vishnu, Ra or any other deity who might be listening, I need my Bels back. Please bring her back to me…

Just five minutes. I'll just sit in this chair for five minutes.

So fragile. Her hand is so small in mine.

Yeah, just close my eyes for a second…

Just. One. Second…

o0o0o0o0o

"How long has he been asleep, Sue?" Carlisle whispered to the nurse who walked in to check Bella's vitals as he replaced Bella's file in the rack on the railings at the bottom of her bed.

"About four hours." She replied quietly, picking up the file and adding her findings.

"Good. Please don't wake him unless there's an emergency. He's been through so much."

"Understood, Carlisle." She added with a soft smile as they both left the room. "I'll make sure he is not disturbed."

"Thank you. How's Harry? We were sad to see you leave. Forks General is not the same without you."

"I miss you guys too, but I love my work here. Harry passed away. Heart attack last year. I warned him to cut out the fat but the stubborn fool insisted that he was ok. I do miss him but I'm starting to build a new life, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. Sorry to hear that he's gone though."

"At least he died doing what he loved best." She added with a twinkle in her eye.

"Hunting?"

"He was on the trail of a large animal, had been going on about it for weeks. Guess it was too smart for him…"

Carlisle shook his head and grinned. "Sounds like Harry Clearwater to me."

o0o0o0o0o

Voices, I hear voices. Some vaguely familiar but new ones too. But why does it sound like they are talking through jello? There is light, soft light and I can make out a silhouette but I have no idea who it is. My head hurts, like really hurts and don't even mention my jaw...

It's all too much.

o0o0o0o0o

"Still nothing, huh?" Charlie asked, looking dejected as he sat down on the plastic chair of the waiting room and closed his phone.

Whoever this guy was he'd managed to pretty much cover all his tracks. The forensic team had given their preliminary findings to the Port Angeles PD and as he was on good terms with the guys down there, they'd agreed to keep him in the loop with the investigation. So long as he didn't get involved.

The wig bore no other hair than that used to make it – the man must have been wearing some sort of latex wig cap. There were no finger prints on any of the things he dropped on the floor and the contact lens case was generic, available from any drug store.

The tread marks made by his shoes were no help either.

The only clues they had to work on was a recent impression of what looked like a small bag or box located near the door and a small bottle of lube they'd found just by the pipe where they'd found Bella. There were partial finger prints on the bottle but they didn't match against anything on file.

"Who are you?" Charlie whispered to no-one in particular.

Moments later he saw two people, a doctor and a nurse rush into Bella's room where Edward was currently keeping watch.

Standing quickly he raced in behind the nurse. If he hadn't have been so pre-occupied he'd have noticed his subconscious eyeing her pert frame and shiny long black hair which ran in a thick straight line down her back from the scrunchie located at the base of her neck.

"What's happening?" he demanded frantically.

"She's coming round…" came the reply from somewhere.

"How…? What?" he demanded.

"S'ok, Sir. We have been weaning her off the drugs for a while. I'm Doctor Evans" he added, "but you can call me Tom."

"She squeezed my hand." Edward added excitedly.

Stepping closer, Charlie could see Bella was trying to open her eyes. You can do it, he urged as he slipped to her side and slid into the chair Edward had just vacated for him.

Grabbing her hand he gave it a gentle squeeze which she returned. "That's it, Baby. Come back to me…" he hissed softly, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

As he squeezed her hand again she opened her eyes wide and stared at the ceiling before taking a deep blink and angling her head towards her Dad.

"Where am I?" she asked with a look of confusion on her face " and where's Mom?" she added as her eyes danced from Charlie to Edward and back again.

o0o0o0o0o

**Uh oh... sadly, no-one guessed right!**

**;o)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know, I know, I promised to upload a new chapter once a week but RL has been an absolute nightmare as my Dad was in hospital for eleven weeks and due to inactivity (can't force him to do physio after a fall - patient's charter and all that...) it's been a real struggle to get him to do anything and my Mum's absolutely exhausted (he's 85 going on 185 - I'm old so I'm going to do exactly what I want (which is nothing) and you as my wife should wait on me hand and foot...) so that's taken up a lot of time. I keep meaning to post but then something happens so all my good plans go out of the window. **

**I'm hoping 2014 will be a better year for my Mum and that she gets the 'professional care and support' she so desperately needs!**

**Anyway, I couldn't wait to get this chapter up so that we can see if Bella is going to get any better, so while I waited for my kids to go to sleep so that Father Christmas could come and deliver presents, I've been reviewing this chapter prior to posting!**

**Have a wonderful Christmas and here's to a healthy and happy 2014 to all (oh and a big win on the lottery wouldn't go amiss, either!)**

**xxx**

Of all the things he'd expected from her, this question was not even close to being on the list.

He felt a squeeze on his shoulder and turned to see Edward giving him a wary look which he returned. Neither of them knew what to say but before either of them could open their mouth Doug Kerridge swept in and stepped up to the end of the bed. Carlisle slid in behind him, but stayed back near an observation window next to the door to keep out of the way.

Turning slightly to give the two mute men a quick look that said, 'it's ok' Doug turned to Bella. "Well hello, young lady. You gave us all quite a scare. How are you feeling?"

Bella closed her eyes for a moment before sleepily answering. "Been better, Doc. Why am I in here and where's my Mom?"

Seeing her discomfort Charlie reached over with a plastic cup full of water and directed the straw that was in it so that it went into her open mouth. Tentatively Bella took a sip then another.

"Do you remember anything about _why_ you're here?" Doug asked, glancing down and making a big thing of noisily flicking through the notes on her clipboard before glancing up at her and staring straight into her one good eye.

Shaking her head slowly, Bella looked like a little girl lost, confused by the extensive bandages that still covered her body, even after two days. Unbeknownst to her, several of the drips and tubes had already been removed.

Raising her hand to look at the canula that ran out from her wrist which she began to turn slowly. "The last thing I remember is my birthday which we celebrated last week."

"Your birthday? How old are you?" Doug coaxed.

"15…"

"Bella, what _year_ is it?" he added softly.

"2010… where's Mom?" she added again, realising that no-one had answered her question. Heat rose up her face, reddening her already colourful face as she started to get angry.

"Bella, it's ok…" the doctor said placatingly before easing himself gently down onto the bed, half way along the opposite side from Charlie and Edward. "Bella, it's actually 2013…" he began as he rested his empty hand on the blanket, inches away from her leg. "Bella, do you remember _anything_?" he added "anything at _all_ about the last three years. Please have a good long think for me, can you, sweetie?"

Bella creased her brow as she tried to spot the important information that she was obviously missing but nothing came to mind.

After a while she gave up with a slight shrug and shake of her head, her movements still hampered by her bandages.

"Where's Mom?" she urged.

"She's gone, Bels. Two week's after your birthday there was an accident…" Charlie started to say.

"Is that why I'm here?" she stuttered out as a single tear fell from her eye.

"No Baby. That was three and a half years ago. There was a car accident. Blind corner. Dark, rainy night." He continued as he began to gently stroke her hand, trying to put some warmth back into her heart as he raised a silent prayer to anyone who would listen. For fuck's sake! She had enough problems to deal with without having to mourn for her mother as well!

Laying back on her pillows, Bella took a deep breath to steady her nerves "So if that was three years ago, what happened to put me in hospital?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Doug said softly "but until your memories start to come back, why don't you just focus on getting better, hmmm?"

Bella nodded as fresh tears started to fall.

Doug nodded to the nurse who began to fiddle with one of the leads into her arm. Moments later Bella drifted back off to sleep as the medication took over.

o0o0o0o0o

Esme, noticing the soft light leaking cheerfully from under Edward's door, knocked gently before letting herself in to find him lying on his bed, hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling.

"You ok?" she asked as she stepped further into his room - Ah, so that's where my vase went - she thought as she looked at the cheerfully crazy, haphazard flowers that filled it as it stood in the middle of his desk.

Edward turned his head to look at her "Why, Mom?" he said unhappily. "What did she do to deserve all… of _it_?" he added, turning onto his side and lifting himself up onto his elbow. "She was so innocent!" he added as he watched his Mom move to sit at the chair next to the flowers.

"Son, I know they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but like you I think the poor girl had been through enough." She said as she teased the spindly, breathtakingly colourful bunch, trying to untangle the individual heads and leaves just to give her hands something to do. "Sometimes people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that's all there is to it. I just wish Alice hadn't gone off and left her." She added sadly.

"Mom! Alice didn't know that Riley was a monster. Everyone said he seemed very genuine and a really nice guy. No-one could have realised what a good actor he was. Anyway, that fuckwit Newton seems to have pushed her into his arms. He's more to blame than Alice could ever be." He added angrily, smashing his fist onto his comforter.

"What's with the flowers?" Esme asked, trying to change the focus of their conversation to a less emotional topic.

"Just picked them up from my meadow." He replied, not realising that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"?"

"It's my go-to place. My happy." He replied, with a shrug, trying not to sound too girly.

Esme nodded in understanding. "Always wondered where you went." She said with a soft smile.

"Do you think she'll get her memory back?"

"Only part of me hopes so." Esme said softly.

o0o0o0o0o

Charlie pulled up outside Billy's ramshackle, rust red metal home, oblivious to the falling rain and the mud that surrounded his vehicle until he stepped out into a huge puddle that immediately lapped over his boots and felt the bitingly cold rain drip down the back of his collar.

Mentally cursing his stupidity as he turned up his collar he slammed the car door shut and stomped up the ramp to the front door, shaking his pants' legs as he did so. Stepping into the welcome glow of the porch light that embraced him and pushed back the night sky he wondered what he would discover when he went inside.

"It's open!" he heard Billy yell so stepping forward he shrugged off his wet footgear and hung his jacket on a peg before wandering through to the kitchen where he found his best friend sitting at a table with a huge American Indian who was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that did nothing to hide his muscles or the tribal tattoo that ran down the side of his face and onto his neck.

"Charlie, this is Jacob Black, Sam couldn't make it but said to say hi."

"Good to meet you Jacob."

Jacob nodded before returning to the map in front of him.

"As we know, this guy, let's call him Riley as we have no other name, had struck in these areas." Jacob said, pointing to several areas marked on the map. "Then he's left his victims in these areas here."

Charlie could see no obvious pattern so decided to wait and see what the tracker had seen that the police hadn't.

"So, if we do this…" he said, as he highlighted where the attacks took place and where the victims were found "we can see…"

"That he's been working in a circle with Seattle as the centre?" Asked Billy.

"Precisely." Added Jake.

Charlie nodded at the logic "But the area inside the circle is huge. It would take us weeks to even go through the phone book, and that's assuming we had the luxury of the correct name."

"Yeah, but if we do this…" Jacob added, drawing light pencil lines using a long ruler, linking the abduction and crime scenes "the pattern changes again."

"Well I'll be…" Charlie whistled out before whipping out his cell phone. "Don't mind, do you?" he asked as he nodded to the map.

"Have at it." Came the determined reply.

o0o0o0o0o

Bella's POV

"It's been four days since I've woken up and I'm _still_ missing the last three and a half years.

Tom, one of the doctors here said that once the swelling has completely gone I should find some of my memories will start to drift back, but it's as if I've had my mind erased by the Men in black's neuralizer and there's a big hole in my brain but also one in my chest. Part of me senses that Renee is gone, but a bigger part knows that I should know more than I do yet I don't. It's all so frustrating!

Gah!

Each day, more of my bandages are reduced or removed altogether and I can see completely out of my eye, although the area is still very bruised. I now know that I have a broken jaw, and at some point I've been wearing some sort of restraint that has cut deeply into my wrists but how I got them is a complete mystery.

My insides hurt but I've put that down to the heavy period I'm experiencing. I'm no doctor but I know they can be made worse by stress and I guess right now is as good as stress gets so that's no biggie. Plus, my body did this when Mom died… Oh fuck! I miss her so much!

Charlie is treating me with kid gloves and for the first time in I can't remember how long he has started to hover. This in and of itself is setting off alarms bells and I don't know why.

I need to go home. Perhaps then I will be able to make sense of what I'm missing. Somewhere down the line something really important went on and that is why I'm here in this hospital but for the life of me, I have no idea what it was.

Charlie, Edward, Esme and Carlisle have been in to see me, but where are Alice and Angela? I'm surprised about Alice not visiting but I suppose Angela is too wrapped up in her latest boyfriend James and if I hadn't seen him briefly one time after school when he yelled at me when I tripped over Jessica's school bag and literally fell into him, I would have sworn that he didn't exist. Oh yeah. It's been three and a half years… maybe she's married the slime ball or perhaps they have split up. Perhaps my two BFF's have both moved on… are they still even important parts of my life?

The doc says I might be able to go home by the end of the week. Does that mean when I've been here for seven days or does it mean by the weekend? What day of the week is it anyway?

Oh, here comes Sue. She's a great nurse but she does tend to knock me out. Dr Kerridge says it for the best but I'm not convinced.

Oh, that liquid feels warm as it enters my arm. Guess they think I'm overdoing it. What I wouldn't give to be able to run through the forest behind Charlie and Renee's house, my home.

Sigh.

Oh yeah, sleep time…

o0o0o0o0o

"Are you sure you're up to having Bella go home to your house? If you both came here she would get 24 hour care and I could put you both in the guest suite at the side of the main house so no stairs."

"Thanks, Esme, but I think we need to go home. I'm hoping that by being in her environment it'll trigger something and she'll start to remember…" Charlie said as they stepped towards the door to Bella's hospital room.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where we are." She insisted.

"Thanks Esme. Your offer means more than you can ever imagine." He added, drawing her into a fierce bear hug before stepping back and pushing the door open to make space for her as she went in ahead of him.

"Hi, Bella." Charlie started.

"Fancy breaking out of here?" Esme continued with a giggle.

Bella gasped. "Really?!" she said as a huge smile spread out over her face.

"That's right, Sweetie. Now we're not promising anything but there is a real possibility that I can take you home, provided Dr Kerridge is happy that the swelling in your head has gone down completely.

At that moment the doors opened and Sue Clearwater came in with a porter. "Time to go check your head out, Bella." She said happily as she carefully manoeuvred her into a wheelchair.

"See you in a while, guys." Bella said with a laugh and a finger wave before she was rolled out the door.

o0o0o0o0o

"Yeah, sorry Mr Banner, but I really need extended leave to the end of term. My girlfriend was attacked at her prom ten days ago and has only just been released from hospital. I had been planning on asking her to marry me, but at the moment she can barely even remember me."

"Hmm. Well be that as it may, don't forget you have your oral next week. Are you going to be in the right state of mind to do this? It counts for so much, Mr Cullen."

"What if I could take it here? I really need to be here for her."

"I'm sorry, Mr Cullen, but there would need to be very extenuating circumstances for…"

"So, are you saying that it may be possible for you to delay it?"

"No, Mr Cullen, but there _may_ be a way for you to take it at another site."

"Could I take it at Port Angeles instead?"

"I… I don't know. I'll need to speak to the head of department…"

"Would it help if I got my father to call you?"

"Would that be Dr Carlisle Cullen, PhD, head of Forks Hospital and former Dean?"

"My Dad was the Dean?"

"Yes, until a certain architect finally persuaded him to move to the other side of the country."

"Wow. Er, do you still want to speak to him?"

"Sure. We go way back. Is he there now?"

"No, but can I get him to call you? Tomorrow?"

"Sure, that will give me time to see what we can do."

"Thanks, Sir."

o0o0o0o0o

"You told him what?!" Carlisle bit out as he slumped back in his reading chair near a wall of books in his study.

"Well, I might have exaggerated my relationship status a little with Bella…"

Carlisle mentally rolled his eyes then took a deep and very audible breath. "So, lover boy, when's the wedding?"

"Two years. After graduation?"

"I see. Does anyone else know we've had this conversation?"

"No, Dad."

"Good. Let's keep it that way, shall we? For the record, as a former Dean I'm seriously pissed that you've put me in this position but as your father, I can see why you did it. Alice is really not doing very well so you being here might help her. What time to I need to speak to Eric Banner?"

"Don't know, will find out."

As Edward left he breathed a sigh of relief as he wandered back to his room, little did his Dad know that he really did plan to marry Bella just as soon as she was better. Maybe two years was a little optimistic but right now, he'd use that timing as a goal.

He pressed the remote for his CD player then laid down on his bed and began to listen to the haunting piano solo of Claire De Lune that he'd recorded a couple of months before in Boston. Taking a deep breath to relax himself he focused on the tentative beauty that each note unveiled.

Immediately his thoughts drifted to a different beauty that had just begun to take her first tentative steps into adulthood. His heart broke again as he thought about all that had been stolen from her and all the while angry, silent sobs filled the air.

o0o0o0o0o

"It's official, Bella Swan. You are free to go, but remember, no hang gliding, snowboarding or mountaineering for at least another couple of weeks, ok?" Tom said with a wink and a grin.

Bella giggled and raised her hand to Esme who gave her a gentle high five.

**xxx**

**So Bella is finally free to go. Well, I couldn't have left her in hospital over the Christmas period (in RL anyway), now, could I?!**

**Please R&R. Nearly as good as a home made present from one of my daughters... ;o)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi Guys, this could be the last one for a while. My Dad got taken back into hospital yesterday and things are looking shaky so my Mum's been struggling a bit. Anyway, please R& R as this will cheer up this rather sad and emotional woman.**

**Love to all my readers and here's to a healthy and happy 2014 to you all.**

**xxx**

Bella blinked repeatedly as the wheelchair left the front of the hospital and headed towards Charlie's cruiser which was parked in a holding bay a few yards from the entrance. The wind caught wisps of her hair as it struggled to escape from the hoodie she'd pulled up to hide the scull cap of bandages underneath and she hunkered down in the padded seat.

"S'ok, Bels." Charlie smiled out happily as he careered quickly towards the vehicle, weaving left and right like a lunatic, yet mindful of her injuries. Bella rolled her eyes and smiled indulgently and pretended to hold on for dear life.

"Daaaad!" she giggled out round the elastics that now held her jaw together, pretending to be cross at his childish antics just as flashes of images began to flit across her vision: Charlie putting luggage in the trunk; her own hand holding a cactus she'd picked up when they'd gone to Pheonix to visit her Aunt; the smell of comforting leather and being cramped up in the back seat next to freshly stowed fishing tackle… all random car-related images that did nothing to help piece back the missing years.

Esme opened the door behind the passenger seat and Charlie steered round quickly, pretending to do wheelies and making lots of wheee sounds as they arrived at the opening with an over-exaggerated, yet gentle, emergency stop. Bella giggled and then stood, wobbling slightly as she found her feet.

Despite being made to get up and move about by the nurses she knew she still had a lot of getting better to do before she could run in the woods or even hike up to the tranquil wildflower meadow she'd found a couple of summers back.

"Time to go home, Bels." Charlie said cheerfully as he helped her in then left Esme to buckle her seatbelt as he went to return the wheelchair.

The ride home was silent but just as they pulled in to the drive, Bella noticed a black mini cooper. "Alice is here?" she asked.

Two heads snapped round.

"What?!" Bella asked defensively.

"How did you know it was Alice's car, Bels?" Charlie said softly as his eyes misted over.

"Don't know, just ... did?" She replied, realising the importance of what she'd just said.

o0o0o0o0o

Jake looked at the information he'd spread out on the conference table at Forks' police department as he waited for Weylon and Leah to arrive. Giving it all one final check over he folded his large frame himself into a seat and reached for the coffee pot to top up his nearly empty mug.

Looking round the bland room, pale institutional blue in colour while he took a long draw on his drink, his thoughts moved to Bella Swan and how much more damage 'Riley' had done to her than all the other girls – almost as if he knew her personally. But that made no sense as all the eye witnesses said she'd treated him like a complete stranger, and Bella, according to the same people, couldn't lie if her life depended on it.

He had his suspicions that their paths had crossed at some point in the past, but he'd keep that piece of information to himself for the moment. As and when she regained her memories he would pursue this line of thinking but for the time being, the poor girl had enough on her plate.

Tipping his head back and closing his eyes he began to think back over the successful briefing he'd had with the Seattle team earlier in the day then his mind drifted to everything that he'd discovered in the short time since he'd left Billy's house and whether there was anything he'd missed.

Eventually he heard footsteps and sat upright as he waited for the two owners to reach the door which they did moments later. One middle aged, average built male, he surmised, and a smaller, very slim female with a slightly masculine gait.

"Hi Jacob. I'm Waylon Forge and this here's my young pup Leah Clearwater." A tall slightly balding man, dressed in a uniform that spoke of single with an outdoors lifestyle, said amicably as he stepped into the room holding out his hand. Jake stood up, clasped and shook the offered appendage.

"Pleased to meet you." He replied before turning to the small woman who'd followed him in.

She had look on her face that suggested that she liked to suck on lemons and she thrust her hand forward almost angrily for him to shake. She was about 5' 8" tall, as thin as an arrow and immaculately dressed, her short hair hanging down in a perfect bob that framed her square American Indian face.

Jake looked quizzically at her as he leaned down slightly and repeated the gesture of welcome.

"Don't mind Happy, here." Waylon said casually as he stepped over the table and poured himself a coffee. "She thinks she's much better at being a police officer than I will ever be and that you're full of phoney hope."

"That's because you're backward and muscles here has absolutely no training in how to conduct an investigation." She said caustically with an almost sneer.

"True" said Jake, "but isn't that why I'm here? To try and change the way you people _think_? The guys at Seattle PD seemed to think so anyway." He glared pointedly at Leah before continuing.

"Let's see now. This guy has been terrorising this area of America for… eighteen months now and so far the police have come up with… nothing." He gave Leah another pointed look before turning to the map in the middle of the table, effectively cutting her off.

"Ok, so this is what I explained to Charlie Swan and Billy Black a coupla days ago and I've now added to it, like so." He said as he overlaid a piece of clear acetate over the original drawings.

"And as we know, he's gaining in confidence. The turnaround time between the first and second, was four months, and the penultimate and the last which was just under one month. But, as you can see," he said as he added yet another sheet of acetate "Our charming fellow is quite the master of angles. He's trying to tell us that we're not clever enough to find him before he attacks again. The boys in Seattle also felt that we needed to work in this area only as certain of the routes would have been too busy and he would have attracted attention. One of the cars he used was a bland dilapidated Ford fiesta and the trunk was too small to pack a body into."

Waylon had been focused all through Jake's explanation but now Leah was clearly listening too as they both studied the area Jake had designated.

Picking up a marker pen Leah took another piece of acetate that was blank and putting is over the top she scribbled out a couple of areas of the map. "He can't operate here or here" she said by way of an explanation, "restricted areas used by the indigenous American Indian settlements."

Jake and Waylon nodded in agreement. Jake was pleased that these two had added even more of the puzzle pieces by a different way of thinking than the Seattle team. Those guys hadn't thought about limiting the options in this way.

"And he hasn't operated in any shopping malls either, so just for the sake of argument, let's exclude them too." Waylon added, colouring in the areas he thought needed to be excluded.

"So, if we continue that logic, he's unlikely to abduct from anywhere that is only open in the day – all of his victims have been selected at night."

"Hmm, why do you say _selected_?" Leah asked, knitting her brows.

"Well I think he spent time watching before he struck, after all it seems that all of his victims have one thing in common." Jake said.

"That they've been brunette, single and under 25?" asked Waylon.

"That too." Jake agreed "but I asked Seattle's team for specific photos for each of our 5 victims, which they've managed to get me. Just look at this…each of our girls was sensible and dare I say, slightly old before their time." He reached over to another envelope and picked out victim information, including pictures.

As he spread the photos out, it immediately became obvious that Jake was onto something. Each of the girls wore sensible, slightly androgynous or completely shapeless clothes in their everyday lives that wouldn't have brought any attention to them, but on the day they'd been attacked they were dressed way outside their norm. None of them were slutty, in fact quite the opposite, the girls had morphed from plain Janes to something a lot more striking, and in some cases downright beautiful.

"I think our man has come across these women and girls at some point and added them to some sort of list… he must do a job that has allowed him to watch his victims. Maybe he works in a public environment…"

"Like a gas station?" Asked Waylon.

"Something like that, but Iris Demler doesn't drive…and he would have needed to really study them. Two minutes in a gas queue wouldn't have given him what he needed." Jake added. Waylon silently agreed.

"Well I'll be…" Leah stage whispered. She'd been playing with the photos while her boss and the tracker talked. "Maybe there's more to your mumbo jumbo tracking crap than I thought!" she added with a begrudging smirk. Waylon and Jake turned to where she'd been rearranging the pictures so that the normally attired victims were in one line and their dressed up versions were underneath.

Staring back at them was a picture that made perfect sense. Jake was right, each girl had been… selected.

o0o0o0o0o

Alice stood on the porch and let out an almost inaudible gasp of surprise and raised her hand to cover her mouth as she saw her Mom and Charlie help Bella take her first shaky steps up the path.

""That's it, Bella." Esme coaxed gently as she held her hands to steady her while Charlie followed up the rear in case she slipped.

"Good going, Bels." She heard Charlie say gruffly from beneath his dejected moustache.

When they reached the top Alice hopped down to take her hands and help lead her up the steps.

"Wow Alice! When did you get so grown up!" Bella smiled lopsidedly round the elastics that held her wired teeth together as she looked her petite best friend up and down. "You gotten all… curvy and I love what you've done to your hair."

Alice's eyes misted over but she managed a cheerful smile "You obviously haven't seen yourself much lately, have you?" she added happily.

"Let's get you inside, shall we?" Esme said from her side as she looked back at Charlie who was struggling to hold in his emotions. Patting his shoulder she gave him a reassuring look and they continued their way up the steps and into the house.

o0o0o0o0o

Alice's POV

I know this reunion's going to be hard, especially when Mom told me Bella had mentioned to her that she'd been surprised that Angela and I hadn't been in to see her.

But honestly? I couldn't. I just… couldn't.

What if she never forgives me? I should have been there to protect her! I really didn't mean for it to happen, Riley, I mean. But I _needed_ to be with Jasper, in every way, you know? And we'd been planning doing _it_ for weeks.

Oh it's all sooo fucked up!

Angela's parents moved six months ago to Oregon and so reluctantly so did she, but she's now settled in to her new school and doing really well, making new friends and there's even been the suggestion of a boyfriend on the horizon, Ben Chimney or something. She was supposed to have been visiting once the semester was over but obviously plans have had to change due to Bella's injuries.

Mom has also pointed out that I can't tell Bella anything that has happened in the last three years so I haven't brought Jasper with me. That's been really hard as I don't know what I would have done without him since the prom and right now I could really do with his calming influence.

My Jasper.

That sounds soo good, sigh.

I kinda realised that he was it for me before the prom but that night was perfect, filled with both physical and emotional love and all the days that have followed have cemented my feelings for him and his for me. I know that I love him with all my heart and I think that he feels the same way too.

If he asked me to marry him tomorrow I would and I think it would be the forever kind of love…

Sigh.

Anyway I'm really nervous about meeting Bella again. What if she never forgives me when she gets her memory back?

What if she never remembers?

Oh My God, here they come! I think I'm going to be sick!

Hold onto the banister rail, Aly! Hold on with both hands…

Oh My God! What did that animal _do_ to her?! She looks so frail. She can hardly walk! Shh, now… calm down, take your hand away from your mouth before she sees you. Deep breaths, they're nearly here!

Act normal…

"Wow Alice! When did you get so grown up." Bella smiled happily, albeit lopsidedly at me through wires. Wires? Did he break her jaw. Oh Belllla!

OMG! She really has no idea that it's all my fault!

Try not to cry!

Take hold of her hands. Oh Fuck, try not to look at the bandages on her wrists…

"You gotten all… curvy and I love what you've done to your hair." My best friend - who I don't deserve - adds, clearly happy to see me.

Act normal… act normal… that's it, smile... and reply..."You obviously haven't seen yourself much lately, have you?"

o0o0o0o0o

Bella laid back on the purple comforter that covered her bed and settled against the cushions Charlie had put there.

The afternoon had been a strange one.

Although her Dad had told her that the doctors had said she needed to get her memories back on her own, she knew Alice was hiding something. All the time they'd been together she'd been really uneasy. Had they had a massive fight? It was the only thing she could think of, but it didn't seem right.

Earlier they'd navigated the stairs to her room and once they'd been alone, Alice had forced her to stand in front of the full length mirror on her wardrobe and she'd been shocked at what she'd seen.

Alice hadn't been the only who'd changed. In front of her had been a young woman, complete with proper breasts, a tiny waist and _everything_.

She'd look at herself properly when the bandages all came off, but even clad in white crepe she could see she was no longer 15. Her days of puppy fat long since gone.

What had happened in the last three years? She had no recollection of Renee's death or the funeral which would have had a huge impact on her. But that being the case, could whatever had landed her in hospital have been equally as traumatic?

So many questions and so few clues.

Her head was starting to pound so she leant over and grabbed a glass of water and the pills Charlie had left her. She was tired and fed up and everything ached.

If only she could remember. Trouble was part of her was too scared to even contemplate what had happened.

Suddenly she remembered she needed to take a shower and change for bed and as she sat back up a thought popped into her head. The pads they'd given her in hospital for her period were far too big… had she been pregnant?

A sob welled up inside her and for the first time since she'd woken up she cried.

Really cried.

For her mother, for the baby, if in fact there'd been one, and for her missing memories.

**xxx**

**We're heading for some dark days but please bear with me and I'll update once my head is in a better place... promise xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys**

**Sorry for the delay, RL has been very trying and despite Christmas and New Year being lovely we've had quite a time with my Dad so personal time has been scarce. **

**:o(**

**Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to a healthy and happy 2014**

**Hope you enjoy this latest chapter and please leave me your reviews. It makes my RL trials see less sad.**

**xxx**

Charlie sat down thoughtfully on one of the two chairs nestled round the table of his small kitchen after finishing the call he'd just received from Forks PD, toying with the paper napkin holder at the centre of the table as he did so.

Not long before Alice had helped get Bella up the stairs and the two had obviously talked for a long while, but she'd left at the same time as her mother. Good job too, Charlie thought as his hands moved idly from the napkins to the cruet set. He was having problems being nice to the girl even though, heart of hearts he knew he was being unfair and that she was not to blame. Waylon had given him more food for thought thanks to his recent update on the meeting with the tracker, Jacob Black, and he understood that 'Riley' had taken advantage of a situation that in normal circumstance wouldn't have been a problem but somehow…

…somehow he felt that Alice should have _known_ and that she should never have gone off with that Whitlock kid.

He sighed and looked down at the pale blue napkin that lay shredded on the table, knowing that these kind of thoughts were not really helpful.

Sitting opposite him, Carlisle waited patiently for his friend to enlarge on the one-sided conversation he'd just had but as he could see he was deep in thought he got up and helped himself to a cup of coffee while Charlie gathered his thoughts. He filled both of their mugs up at the same time before returning the jug to the warming plate and settling back quietly in his hard wooden seat, putting the large orange stoneware cups back down as he did so. Acknowledging the doctor's action with a grunt the widow thanked him with his eyes for the unexpected but welcome sentry duty he and his family had decided to provide.

The Cullen's had really been there for him and Bella, just like when Renee had died, and their instinctive support had again blown him away yet humbled him at the same time. It had not been long after Alice and Esme had headed out that Carlisle had pitched up - like a well choreographed dance to replace them - like he figured, sentry duty. Just that there was no sense of duty, only love and concern.

"So, what did Waylon have to say?" Carlisle eventually asked as he watched him absentmindedly play with the mess he'd made, obviously deep in thought.

"Hmmm? Oh he reckons Jacob is onto something. He said that the tracker thinks Riley had targeted Bella specifically."

Carlisle furrowed his brows with concern. "Really?!" and his knuckles whitened round his mug.

"Yeah. Seems she matched a pattern. Slightly shy and awkward, conservative dresser that on the night in question blossomed from an ugly duckling… well you get the idea. He also reckons that his attacks were not random – once he'd set his sights he'd rock up to wherever his target was headed, show them lots of attention and win them over before taking off with them to do whatever he did to each of them. He added that the bastard's gaining in confidence and taking greater and greater chances. But Bella's injuries were far more… brutal at an intimate level than anything before. Most of his victims were sexually abused, but not anally, and none were beaten as badly."

"Oh Christ!" Carlisle added throwing himself back against the faux leather seat pad at the back of his chair and slapped the table before standing up to begin pacing.

"And there's more." Charlie added sadly. "He also reckons that Jacob was holding something back. A thought that even he didn't want to voice."

"?"

"He thinks Jacob believes Riley knows or knew Bella from the past."

"So what you're saying is that Bella could be the key…"

"Yeah, and this Riley guy is likely to come back and have another go…"

o0o0o0o0o

"Can I come in?" Alice asked timidly as she knocked on her brother's door.

"Hey, Ali, how's tricks?" came the warm reply as she entered his room. Edward looked up from the college work he'd been studying. Just near his desk lamp was a vase of fresh meadow flowers that stood watching over him as he studied, the bright colours basking in its glow.

"S'up, Sis?" he asked with a frown as she flopped down on the edge of his huge bed with a sigh and began nervously picking at invisible threads on the comforter.

"What really happened? At the warehouse, I mean. Emmett talks to you about… _stuff_. What did he tell you? Please… I _have_ to know." She pleaded, raising her misted eyes to his.

"What's this really all about?"

"I went to Bella's house to welcome her home and she looked so so…broken. I felt so guilty! It's all my fault!" She added softly as she wrung her hands together desperately in her lap.

"Now, now!" Edward said as he scooted over and quickly knelt by her knees, grabbing her hands between his own before they did any damage.

"How Emmett found her and what happened on the way to the hospital are irrelevant. Rose and him got her to safety, that's all that matters. But _you_ are _not_ to _blame_.

"At _all_.

"I know Mom is mad right now, but she's more upset at you sneaking off with Jasper without telling her where you were really going. She knows how much Jasper and you mean to each other and she's just finding it a big deal that you're no longer… her… _innocent_ little girl. If Bella hadn't been attacked she'd still be cross with you for lying to her… and you know she would have found out. You betrayed her trust in you, it just seems worse because of what happened to Bella. Talk to her, please?"

Alice looked up at her brother and nodded. "Thank you." She added.

"How was she?" Edward asked, looking intensely into her still teary eyes.

"Oh Edward. Part of me is glad that she can't remember anything because then it can't hurt her! But part of me… part of me wants it all to come back so that she can remember all the good times we've had and how beautiful she looked before the prom…"

"I know what you mean." Edward added. "I think we all have the same mixed feelings about her memory loss. But she needs to remember otherwise she'll never really come to terms with Renee's death and she'll spend her life wondering what other significant things she's forgotten."

"Like that God-awful corsage Newton gave her?"

"Precisely!" Edward snorted with a chuckle before sobering slightly "We need to be there for her when she does remember. Dad says it won't be pretty. She'll need all of us to support her when her memory does come back."

Alice nodded and took a deep breath before looking into her brother's eyes. "You're right, of course… but first I need to go speak to Mom and apologise for breaking her trust. Then after that I need to stop thinking about myself and be strong for Bella."

Edward nodded "Yeah, I think you and Mom need to clear the air." He added, patting her hand. "But don't feel you have to support Bella on your own. We're all here to help with that, besides, if you stop thinking about yourself, you won't be you." He continued with a smirk.

"Smartass!" Alice giggled.

"Thatta girl. You need to be you and be your usual meddlesome, slightly selfish, always happy, pixie self."

"Meddlesome?! Selfish?!"

"Yeah! How many times have you interfered in my life? Or that of my wardrobe… and go one about how it will impact on you…"

Alice chuckled and grabbed her brother into a big hug. "Thank you. One day you'll make someone very happy." To herself she substituted 'someone' for 'Bella'.

Edward returned her hug, silently hoping that one day it would be Bella who'd be his someone.

o0o0o0o0o

"Chief?"

"Jacob Black here. Is it ok to talk?"

Charlie nodded and Carlisle gave him a questioning look. "Yeah, Bells' up stairs getting ready for bed. We're good. I've got Carlisle Cullen here so I'm going to put this on speaker, k?"

"Sure, go ahead. I won't beat around the bush, Charlie, I think we need to put surveillance on your house. I think Bella's is in danger."

"Yeah, guessed you say that. Waylon seemed to think there was more to Bella's attack than all the others."

"Do you really think he knew her from before at some point?" Carlisle added.

"Yeah. Riley seems to have selected the other girls based on how they acted and what they looked like, knowing that they would be nervous about how others would see them. It looks like he played up to their insecurities every time, and going back over the cases the Seattle boys realised that I was on to something… but, but with Bella… there's more. The way he abused her was far more personal, as if he had a grudge against her."

Charlie tightened his grip on his coffee cup and Carlisle gripped his shoulder to steady both of them.

"Are you also saying that if the potential victims didn't transform the way he expected them to that perhaps he didn't always attack?"

"Fuck! I hadn't even thought of that!" Jacob added with a snort. "But yeah. Bella was something else. Can you arrange to have people watch your house?"

"I'll see what I can do." Charlie said quietly before adding a quick thanks and ending the call.

Charlie dropped his head down on the table with a soft thud as he whistled out a soft "shit!"

"It'll be OK, Charlie. There'll be plenty of volunteers. Emmett and Edward would help if I asked them, probably Jasper too." Carlisle said, scratching his jaw as he thought out loud. The five of us could take it in shifts."

"Doesn't Edward need to get back to school?"

"No, he's arranged to take his exam here in Forks and take the rest of the term off."

"Won't that affect his grades?"

"No, I've spoken to his professor and although he has one piece of work to hand in, he's so far ahead of the rest of the class Dr Banner has no major concerns."

"Well. That's good." Added Charlie stoically.

"Yeah. It's as if he read someone's mind and knew he needed to stay."

At that moment, Charlie heard a shriek and after giving Carlisle a scared look rushed upstairs to find Bella flailing about in her bed, screaming, obviously in the middle of a nightmare.

"Shit! Fuck, Carlisle! What do I do?!" he whispered loudly as he stood in the doorway as he felt a calming hand on his arm.

"Well normally you let the sleeper work through their nightmare as often they don't realise they've had one when they wake up, but in this case…" came the quiet reply.

"Right." Said Charlie with a nod, realising what his best friend was not saying as he rushed over and sat on the bed, pulling a very violent Bella into his arms.

"Shhh, S'ok Bels. I'm here." He began stroking her hair as she collapsed into him.

"Da Dad? Who's Riley?" he eventually heard her whisper through her sobs.

**o0o0o0o0o**

**Waddya think? Please let me know**

**xxx**


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